In an entertainment industry where businesses compete to sell the newest technology to music mavens, some still choose to spin records instead of the wheels on iPods.
Records and retro music are enjoying a surge in popularity as the millennial generation looks to older generations for new trends.
Deana Finn, owner of Memory Lane Records, says a lot of new shoppers have been coming into the store during the past couple of years.
"We've seen more customers, especially younger people, asking for retro music from the '50s and '60s," Finn says. "A group of college students regularly comes in and buys old jazz, which really impresses me."
Derek Mills, a political science sophomore, says he has more than 100 records featuring sounds from the late '60s and early '70s. Some of his favorite albums include The Great Society's "Conspicuous Only in its Absence" and Cream's "Disraeli Gears."
"I'm upset with the music scene right now," Mills says. "Everything is stale and sounds the same."
Records appeal to collectors and others who prefer vinyl sounds to digital and who want to look at covers and liner notes, Finn says as her 4-year-old daughter, Paisley, picks a record from a shelf and tries to read the names of songs.
The store features more than 100,000 records and specializes in out-of-print music, much of which isn't available on compact disc, Finn adds. She says Paisley is a fan of Elvis and Janis Joplin.
East Side Records clerk Steven Bones says he has also seen a resurgence in the sales of vinyl and older music, though he adds that his store sells more CDs than records. Old jazz and new hip-hop are the store's best-selling categories, he adds.
"Records and also retro music are becoming more popular again," Bones says. "Tempe is growing so much, and new people are coming here to buy their first turntable."
Choices of how to listen to music are expanding as the market continues to release more advanced technology. As a result, people are becoming curious about other music formats such as records, Bones says.
"Records sound way better than CDs and MP3s," Bones says. "MP3s are at the bottom of the food chain as far as sound, although it depends on how good your system is."
East Side Records, which has been around for nearly 20 years, sells used record players that range from $40 to $200, Bones says.
"The older record players are tougher and made better," adds Bones, who says he has been collecting records since he was a kid.
As convergence of technology increases, recent developments have blended record players with computers.
Urban Outfitters advertises two different turntables on its Web site. The Handytrax Portable Turntable made by Vestax, which is "lightweight" and features a "built-in speaker," sells for $100.
The description of the ION USB Turntable urges buyers to "Turn all those dusty LPs into digital gold with this USB-ready turntable," which is Mac and PC compatible and costs $150.
Brent Berg, an employee at the Urban Outfitters on Mill Avenue, says both of these models sold out during the holidays. The store expects to receive more this month.
Other links from the past to the present include Xitel's INport, a $69.95 converter that transfers stereo recordings [including records and tapes] to MP3 files, according to xitel.com.
Mills says the sound doesn't change that much when he connects an INport to his mid-'80s record player.
"I have some old, beat-up records and you can still hear their pops and scratches [in the digital files], but it tones them down a bit," Mills says. "I convert records to CDs so I can take my music on the road with me, but if I'm at home I listen to records."
If you go
Memory Lane Records
1940 E. University Dr.
(480) 968-1512
East Side Records
217 W. University Dr.
(480) 968-2011
Reach the reporter at: leah.duran@asu.edu.<.i>
