Over the past 15 years, vinyl records and other forms of physical media have risen in popularity. Although vinyl has been around since the 1930s, with some early versions invented in the 1880s, record stores have seen an uptick in sales in recent years. With rising subscription costs for streaming services and concerns about not actually owning media, people question if vinyl is the right way to go.

Vinyl records make it possible to physically own music and to directly support local businesses and artists. Additionally, records are a high-quality and potentially low-cost way to physically own one’s music collection. In Carlsbad, vinyls are easily accessible with record stores like Spins and Lovebug Records in the Carlsbad Village.

Around 90 million people in the U.S pay for a music streaming subscription as of January 2024, which is equivalent to about 27% of the population. Artists only get a fraction of the money they deserve per individual stream. According to Gateway Music, artists earn somewhere from $0.003-$0.007 per stream, which adds up to around 4 dollars per thousand streams.

Vinyl can be a great way to support artists fans love directly by giving them much more than a fraction of a cent. Independent artists can make upwards of 10% of the cost of a vinyl, and with an average cost of $30, the artist could make nearly a thousand times more than they did with one stream. Supporting artists through physical media can also indirectly lower the costs of things like their merch and concert tickets, which have become artists’ only ways of making money.

Embracing vinyl is a way to help an artist reclaim their ownership over their music, preserving its artistry and significance for generations to come. In a time dominated by digital streaming services, owning music has become as simple as a few clicks. However, even with the convenience of downloading songs, streaming doesn’t compare to having an actual copy of an album.

Unlike digital formats, vinyl offers a physical connection to music—an experience that is much more engaging than tapping on a phone. The act of playing a high-quality vinyl shows the effort the artist puts into their music and the artwork (vinyl records often come with posters, photocards, etc.). Furthermore, the depth of sound produced by vinyl creates an immersive listening experience that is preferred over digital audio.

Many argue that while vinyl can be a great way to collect music, it can also be wasteful. Many artists offer multiple variants of a single album, which can differ in color, include deluxe tracks and even have different shapes. An artist who specifically comes under scrutiny in this situation is Taylor Swift. Swift’s newest album, The Tortured Poets Department, has five individual variants. Four of the five variants featured what fans thought to be exclusive tracks, but they were later released on streaming services with the deluxe version of her album.

Although many collectors enjoy buying and listening to the different vinyls (there are hundreds of “Swifties” dedicated to collecting all of her variants), many see them as an unnecessary cash grab. Across Swift’s entire discography with 11 albums (and four rerecordings), she has released 103 vinyl variants. Other artists have also released an extreme number of variants, with Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts album having 15 and Phoebe Bridgers’ Punisher having 12.

While many artists can be wasteful with their variants, some are taking a stand against this. In an interview with Billboard, singer-songwriter Billie Eilish said, “I can’t even express to you how wasteful it is. I find it really frustrating as somebody who goes out of my way to be sustainable… and then it’s some of the biggest artists in the world making 40 different vinyl packages… to keep you buying more.”

Eilish, who is known as an advocate for sustainability in music, has made eight variants of her 2021 studio album Happier Than Ever. Her standard vinyl was made of 100% recycled black vinyl, while her colored variants were made of scraps from old vinyl. The packaging was also fully recyclable with sugar cane shrink-wrap. Additionally, this past Earth Day, a couple in Florida founded “Audiodrome,” which became America’s first solar-powered vinyl record press. All of their pressings are made of Bio-Vinyl compound (a sustainable bio-based PVC) and their packaging is 100% compostable.

The resurgence of vinyl records represents more than just a nostalgic return to physical music; it shows that younger generations continue to foster deep connections to music, even in the digital age. While vinyl offers an experience that is unmatched by streaming, concerns about environmental impact through excessive variants remind those of the importance of responsible consumption. Embracing vinyl can be a meaningful way to preserve music for generations to come, while also advocating for practices that respect both the art and the planet.