Vinyl is dead. My arse. We take to the streets on Record Store Day to investigate how alive it is.

It is not a Saturday like any other. April 18th is this year’s Record Store Day, an event that brings the vinyl industry to life and a polite reminder that music is not a luxury, but rather a necessity to navigate through day-to-day life for many people. In Marilians Records, a small vinyl store that is making a name for itself in the heart of Madrid, the stacks are full, the scent is unequivocal and the atmosphere feels different to a conventional day. Customers are eager to see what the store has to offer, and relieved to find out they are not alone in their freakish passion for vinyls. You can almost feel the music as soon as you enter the place, your senses coming to terms with an experience that is better enjoyed when there is a self-consciousness to it, almost like a religious ritual one tries not to get away from. 

That probably has to do with Boys Don’t Cry by The Cure being played on the speakers, but nothing should be taken away from the shop’s setting itself. The Cure’s very own Greatest Hits is one of the albums that the store is selling to mark this special occasion, on the one-copy-per-person condition, a policy that proves how seriously Marilians Records takes running its business running. 

Rest assured: no boys —or girls, for the matter— are crying in the shop’s surroundings on this sunny afternoon. It is all smiles, as spring makes its way into the Spanish capital. People breathing it all in and living in the moment, a rare sight to sit back and behold. For a few hours, enjoyment comes first. Personal problems seem less important. Nothing else matters. 

As Robert Smith’s lyrics suggest, taking something for granted is rarely a good choice. This includes the vinyl industry, a sector that was gravely affected when digital streaming platforms first came into play. Essentially, this led to a shift in the way music was perceived, especially among younger generations, who grew up learning about artists in a different, arguably more superficial way. After all, who would go through the hassle of learning how vinyls function when they can press a simple play button? And albums splitting in two, what is all that about? Sorcery, they must think. This phenomenon has exacerbated in a context where time is the most precious and valuable asset, with full-on albums becoming secondary to songs. 

However, workers in the music sector have always managed to survive and reinvent themselves in this fast-paced society. “Like in every sector, the speed at which everything changes is a major challenge. You have to adapt almost daily in order not to become obsolete”, says Daniel Forés, co-founder and co-owner of Marilians Records. However, they have found a place to flourish, attracting younger clientele and reigniting a deeper, more complex understanding of music. A vinyl revival, even. “Although vinyl as a format never disappeared and people continued collecting records, in recent years there has definitely been a resurgence”, Mr. Forés argues. “Most bands now release their music on vinyl. This has led to more and more people wanting to own their favorite artist’s record at home”, he adds.

Reflecting on his shop’s type of clientele, one of the store’s two owners explains that 90% of people who come into his shop are between the ages of 18 and 30. “Marilians Records is geared towards new releases, we give a lot of support to emerging artists. Younger people that consume physical music are buying vinyl because there is a very interesting music scene in Madrid and Spain, with newer bands doing things very impressively”, he continues. 

Younger people, fueled by a romanticization of the past and a desire to feel a stronger engagement with music, are beginning to appreciate vinyl not only as a form of music, but also as a valuable collector’s relic. “Our young clientele are just starting their collections, and they come here every week looking for new releases and recommendations”, Mr. Forés remarks. “Nowadays, people can listen to an album on streaming platforms, even if they tend to listen to isolated tracks through these means, and then come to buy it on vinyl”, he carries on. “But the fact is”, he adds, “some bands release their albums digitally and, if it has a degree of success in terms of streams, they manufacture a vinyl version”.

Mr. Forés hopes the cultural role of record stores always remains. “These are spaces where people spend an entire morning listening to and searching for new music. You can share the experience, socialize, and meet people with the same interests”. Essentially, this is what it is all about: connecting through music and taking some weight off the burdens of life.