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are the people who will spend hours and hours searching through boxes of old second hand vinyl at record fairs and car boot sales, looking for that rarity that might compliment their collection. With these people the vinyl may be seldom played, sometimes never at all, and the condition of the sleeve and vinyl is absolutely the most important thing in the world. These are the people that may frame a sleeve or a picture disc to keep it pristine forever. These are the people that will stab their Post Man through the heart with a kitchen knife if their mail order item arrives with a tiny crease in one corner, and these are the people that will pay thousands of pounds for that ultimate Beatle collectable.

The third group of people helping to keep vinyl alive might come as a surprise to anyone outside the music industry, but it's a trend I have noticed more and more lately. The middle aged music traditionalists and the collectors are getting help in keeping vinyl alive from the kids. You see, buying vinyl is becoming a cool thing to do in modern youth culture. Modern music icons like Jack Black, DJs, and bands like The Killers continue to champion the virtues of vinyl and the kids follow their lead safe in the knowledge that, more than in any other era, they can indulge themselves in the chic of something like vinyl without turning their back on the fun that comes with fiddling around with new technology. Whether it is mixing new dance tracks from a couple of classic 70's pop 12" singles on a twin deck, or digitally recording the latest Arctic Monkeys vinyl 7" onto a pc using the latest in USB turntables, it seems that the kids of today want to enjoy the best of both worlds and are doing just that.

Anyone want to buy a lava lamp?

Learn more about this author, Robert Stephenson.
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