Why it’s a thing: The vinyl revival

The resurgence of records and turntables has brought back a tangible quality to music that often felt lost in digital decades. It’s what’s known as the Vinyl Revival.

Let’s rewind for a second and break down the history of vinyl:

1800s: Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville invents the earliest known recording sound device, the phonautograph. In 1877, Thomas Edison kicks it up a notch with the phonograph, which could both record and replay sound. Fast forward a decade later, and Emile Berliner patents the gramophone, which is the basis of what we now know as the OG record player.

1900s: Vinyl undergoes a series of material makeovers until 1901, when the Victor Company released its Red Seal line, which played 10-inch, 78-rpm records. For the beginning of the 20th century, recording companies struggled to move past short-playing discs.

1940s: The first LP — long-playing record — makes its debut. Created by Peter Goldmark, the vinyl record could hold 22 1/2 minutes of music per side.

1960s: The stereophonic LP overtakes sales of its monophonic counterpart in the late ’60s.

1980s: The digital compact disc enters the mainstream and vinyl loses its industry dominance.

2000s: Vinyl records make a niche-market resurgence — manufactured and sold on a smaller scale throughout the ’90s — and by 2014, 9.2 million vinyl records were sold in the US, a 260 percent increase from 2009.

Today, the vinyl revival is not only changing the way we listen to music, but also the way we discover it. We spoke to Lily — a passionate record collector who presses albums to vinyl for new artists — on why the vinyl revival is a thing.

Crosley Cruiser Deluxe Stereo Turntable

• $45

It’s a vinyl player with vintage charm, made for the modern age. The Crosley Cruiser Deluxe (a step up from Crosley’s most popular turntable, the Cruiser) lets you dial in the record’s speed with advanced pitch control adjustments, sync to a Bluetooth connection, and stream digital music right through the built-in speakers. But it comes in a ‘70s-inspired suitcase shell (in an array of sleek and millennial-approved color palettes) to give you that true vinyl feeling. Plug it in to your RCA speakers or hook up your headphones to the jack and experience the best of 2019’s vinyl.

• $45 at Walmart