Since I’ve got bitten by the record collecting bug, a lot of people (especially my parents) have asked me “why”. I suppose it has a lot to do with the fact that for the past decade or so of my existence as a flaming music nerd that I felt ashamed of my actual music collection. For many years the only thing I had to show for it was a hard drive and a baskets full of (ab)used CD’s.

It could also have something to do with the fact that there’s a romantic element about the practice of plucking an album off the shelf, marveling over the big cover art, and physically dropping a needle onto a groove to hear music. Or that the sound quality is just oh so better – on properly cared for records at least.

For music lovers, being able to physically hold a work produced by your favorite musician or band is a unique experience. And sometimes it’s just nice to experience music without a glowing screen. For recordings that pre-date the era of CD’s, listening to music the way it was originally intended to be heard is kind of a novel experience as well.

But I’m not alone. In fact there’s been several stories popping up in the news about the revival for the format – especially amongst those unruly teenagers who are now growing up with smartphones and iPods glued to their hands.

Even more interesting? A new record shop recently opened up in my town. Yes, a record shop entirely dedicated to selling vinyl has opened its doors in 2011 in the wake of countless dead (or soon to be) B&M music shops. I hope they stick around for a while since I love spending my free time digging through crates. The fact that this store exists and already has quite a few regulars is surely a good sign.