Vinyl records are enjoying a comeback, especially among young people, and Ottawa is no exception to this trend.
John Thompson, owner of The Record Centre in Ottawa, said his store is seeing more young people buying vinyls.
“They are who’s driving this whole thing,” he said. “It’s quite a resurgence.”
Thompson said people may start buying records for their cool factor, but once they start listening to them, they’re addicted.
“That whole hipster thing or cool thing is out the window and they’re doing it because they love it,” he said.
Thompson said the younger generation was raised listening to digital music and “missed out” on the vinyl experience.
“Saving your allowance and going out and buying a record, ripping the wrapping off it, putting it on the turntable, reading the liner notes, just playing it thousands of times,” he said. “Digital dummied that down where you’re just downloading a song. It’s no longer about the album.”
Part of the experience includes the search for different vinyls, he said.
“They love the ritual. They love the sound. They love the hunt,” Thompson said. “When you’re looking for used records, it’s about the hunt.”
Buyers listen to a combination of older and newer records.
“It’s kind of refreshing,” Thompson said. “A record by a band you love today. It doesn’t matter who it is. It could be a pop record by Taylor Swift or a rock record. And it’s on vinyl.”
Tess McDonald, a second-year humanities student at Carleton, said she likes the nostalgia of a physical record.
“You listen to an entire album at a time,” she said.
The record sound is also appealing to buyers.
“Vinyl sounds very good. A lot of people say it sounds better. It certainly sounds different,” Thompson said. “There’s a lot of excitement around it, which is nice to see.”
Jenna Blais, a second-year advertising and marketing communications management student at Algonquin College, said she liked the “retro muffle” sound from the older records.
“I think it’s because my grandparents would play old vinyls when I was a kid,” she said. “Plus, it sounds warm and cozy.”
Thompson said he hopes the record revival continues.
“I think it’s going to keep going on for a while,” he said.
