It is not 1975. Steely Dan is not a popular band anymore; more people know who Justin Bieber and Katy Perry are.
The names of the vinyl era mean a little less to some people than they did in decades past.
But for others, vinyl never really went out of style.
Article Photos
Good City Records, located at 515 Pine St., Jamestown, has roughly 2,500 records of various sizes in its store. The store’s most common sizes are 7- and 12-inch records.
Submitted photos
Turntable sales are on the rise, and record sales have climbed for five years straight, according to a New York Times report. The same can't be said for audio cassettes, 8-tracks or CDs.
Collectors and everyday music fans drop by 515 Pine St., Jamestown on weekend afternoons to see a blend of new and old. Good City Records, a re-worked version of the former Townhouse Records, has thousands of variously sized records at its disposal.
Jonathan Bell, who co-owns the store with Andrew Harrington, thinks he knows why vinyl never died.
"Digital files just aren't enough," Bell said. "If you're really going to appreciate music, you need the physical copy. We always embrace both the vinyl and the mp3; together they're really awesome. With mp3, you can take your whole collection with you in your pocket. But if you really want to sit down and appreciate music, an mp3 really doesn't cut it for a lot of people. I don't think the disc is ever going to go away, and with the mp3, we don't need the disc to be compact anymore."
Some people prefer the vinyl sound over that of a CD or digital file. Count Steve Swanson into that group.
He started buying records as a teenager, when he said they were preferable to 8-tracks and cassettes.
Swanson buys new and old records from Good City. He still has his first LP, or long-play record: Steve Martin's "A Wild and Crazy Guy." Although most of his records aren't all that valuable, they bring him so much pleasure that he never plans to sell them.
Swanson enjoys the larger, more detailed album artwork that comes with records and the all around vinyl experience.
"They demand your attention in ways that CDs or digital files don't," Swanson said. "You have to return to the turntable to flip or change the record if you want to keep listening. I also like the fact that records require a little more care from users to keep them sounding good. That's why a vintage LP in good condition is a treasure. Someone had to care for it in order for it to pass down the years to me, still listenable, still containing value."
Swanson maintains his own record blog, vinylrescue.tumblr.com, where he posts at least one photo of an album from his 1,800-record collection each day.
Some of those who buy records today didn't grow up listening to vinyl. Bell is included in that group.
"I turned 18, and the bands I listened to were putting out records, so I started to buy a couple," he said. "It just snowballed from there."
Several bands have gotten back into vinyl or into it for the first time. Bell thinks they've done so to get back to the biggest, best format.
"We really try to focus more on new releases and new re-issues. We get classic albums, which is fantastic, but we also like classic album re-issues," Bell said, holding up a newly re-issued Fleetwood Mac record.
Despite its decades-old technology, the record industry has kept up with the times in several ways. Take Good City, for example. The store also sells records on its website, goodcityrecords.com, and has social media accounts, including Facebook and Twitter.
Many new record releases come available with digital downloads as well, allowing consumers to listen to songs on vinyl and on their mp3 players.
Despite the changes, 21st-century album prices probably won't scare off vinyl fans from decades gone.
Used records typically sell for around $4-8 and new releases go for $15-25 at Good City. Music fans can still buy albums meant to be played at different speeds, turntables and various record accessories.
Since Bell and Harrington opened Townhouse Records in downtown Jamestown four years ago, they've seen records grow in popularity. However, records have some catching up to do compared with mp3s and CDs.
"There's not a huge market in Jamestown," Bell said. "We cater to a small niche. We do have those regular collectors who do come in every single weekend. This is a hobby for us. It's not a profitable business. We just do it because we enjoy it. We're really happy doing this on the weekends and just serving the community with a record shop at this point."
Good City has roughly 2,500 records on display in its store, with 20,000-30,000 more in storage. The store does buy records, but with an overwhelmingly sized collection already at its disposal, it prefers to sell.
With an increase in record sales in recent years, Swanson sees no reason to believe vinyl won't last. He plans to keep up his record-themed Tumblr account and keep adding to his collection. He plans to pass his records on to his children.
"I think record stores will always exist," he said. "I imagine specialty auto stores for certain vintage car nuts are along the same lines. I think vinyl is kind of trendy right now. A lot of hipsters think it's cool. It's great that a lot of current bands, especially non-mainstream artists, are releasing so much vinyl. Welcome hipsters. The more the merrier. But please keep your fingers off the grooves. I don't think some of these records will survive the fad intact. When vinyl dies down, like baseball cards eventually did, I will still be buying and listening and maintaining it for future listeners."