“Taking a chance on a record”: lost vinyl consumption practices in the age of music streaming

Abstract

ABSTRACT In the age of music streaming, the physicality of vinyl has never been so appealing. While studies have focused on the medium itself and the record store as a static site of consumption, this article explores lost vinyl consumption practices that traverse time and space via consumers’ nostalgic recollections. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 active consumers of vinyl who are members of the UK indie pop music scene using their chosen album artwork as props to stimulate discussion. The findings from the thematic data analysis reveal a trajectory of practices centered on the purchase of records and the effort of acquiring and appreciating vinyl over time. This article contributes new insights into materiality and consumption by foregrounding the role of nostalgia and temporality in shaping consumers’ long-term relationship with legacy technological objects and determining how consumption practices are re-contextualized in times of personal and cultural discontinuities.