Between iTunes, YouTube, Pandora, Spotify and so many other Internet sources, downloading music is easier and cheaper than ever, so why is it that now people are choosing to spend so much more to buy music on vinyl? Between the cost of the record player and the record itself, music on vinyl is impractical at best, yet people continue to spend the extra money on this outdated musical outlet.

According to Nielsen’s music sales tracking, vinyl sales have been on an upward trend for seven years straight, increasing by 52 percent in 2014 alone, totaling sales of over 9.2 million that year, despite the recent decrease in overall album sales. In 2013, Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories” had the highest number of sales on vinyl at 49,000 sales fol- lowed by Jack White’s “Lazaretto” with 87,000 in 2014, making it also the highest selling record since 1991.

Perhaps one explanation for this increase in popularity is simply the old-time feeling that people crave. Getting to physically put the needle on the record and watch it spin can transport you out of the digital age and into another century, back when music had a higher value than it does today. The value of music may also have something to do with this new trend. Music’s overall worth has drastically decreased since free music became so accessible on the Internet. The music industry as a whole is changing in that lately art- ists have been putting more energy and time into releasing singles as opposed to albums because people are less likely to listen to an entire body of work. Listening to music on vinyl is a way to counteract that change, to listen to music the way the artist meant for it to be heard.

Taylor Swift says, “I’m so in love with the concept of an album – a collection of memories from your life that you’re giving to people. It’s a piece of you. Buying them on vinyl is just taking that one step further and acknowledging that albums are important.” Swift’s newest album “1989” is credited for the increase of pop album sales in 2014 with 3.66 million copies sold, which numbers-wise is popular on vinyl. In addition to the emotional aspect, there is also a completely different sound quality on vinyl that you’re not likely to get with digital music. When listening to a song on vinyl, you might hear more than you did before such as more detail in the background vocals or instrumental nuances you hadn’t previously noticed.

It’s also possible that the album itself determines whether or not people will buy it on vinyl. Most people will only buy their favorite albums on vinyl because they want to listen to it first before committing to spending the money on a record.

Despite the benefits of this nostalgic form of music, there are definite drawbacks as well. Records are fragile and tend to scratch and skip more easily than CDs, much in the way the invention of DVDs eliminated the risk of a videotape unwinding. They are also more expensive, harder to store and far less convenient to listen to, considering a record player is not quite as portable as an iPod. They can also be more difficult to find, seeing as record stores are all but extinct, and most are sold at independent music stores or online.