Landlocked Music, Bloomington Indiana

Vinyl records have been prevalent for nearly a century, persevering through countless other cultural changes. The streets around Indiana University’s Bloomington campus are filled with numerous record stores. In the digital age, streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music tend to be quite popular. However, the stores that sell vinyls and other forms of physical media are still able to remain relevant and keep their doors open.

Ashley Chandler, owner of Rewind Records, believes young people have begun to get more interested in buying physical media. 

“Over the last decade, I’ve seen more and more people buying vinyl,” said Chandler. “The youth is getting more and more into it.” 

Chandler also sees college students using vinyls to decorate their spaces, because they enjoy the aesthetic appeal of the objects. 

Ella Meador, a junior at Indiana University, also agrees with this idea. 

“I love the way that vinyls look,” said Meador.

Meador concurs that the popularity of vinyl records may have sparked from internet trends.

“I definitely think vinyls, and like CDs and stuff, are getting a lot more popular.” Meador said. 

Heath Byers, the co-owner of Landlocked Records, noticed a spike in sales at his store during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite always having strong sales. 

“There was a bit of a peak during COVID times, because people were just seeking physical objects,” Byers said. He put further emphasis on the significance of owning a physical item. “It’s all about the object and it just meaning something to someone more than ones and zeros on the cloud.”

 Byers mentioned that people wanted to support local businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, which could have resulted in their increased sales. 

The idea that the pandemic may have affected vinyl sales was also echoed by Meader, who remarked, “I think maybe like around four years ago, I bought a lot,” adding “I think it definitely may be correlated, because after COVID, for me, that’s when I started buying vinyls.”

The general consensus between vinyl enjoyers and sellers is that the physicality of the object makes it more special than listening to an artist on a streaming service. “You’re getting to know, I think, the artist better when you have a CD or vinyl as opposed to just listening to it through Spotify,” said Chandler, of Rewind Records. “You get to know the album the way the artist intended.” 

Byers of Landlocked Music also speaks fondly on the thought of a physical object. “It’s a tangible object, like, if you pulled up her album on your phone, you just have, like, this little thumbnail image.” Byers said. “You wouldn’t have the graphic design…you could have someone’s life story, like, you know, a love note inside it.”  

The love and significance placed on physical media allows businesses like Landlocked Music and Rewind Records to stay in business, even in areas dominated by younger people, who tend to be more familiar with newer technology. Despite over 700 million people globally subscribing to music services, the tradition of physical music remains prominent.