Kevin Goldfinger
Contributing Writer

Bryan Diem thumbs through the plastic slipcases that housed his record collection. He finds the album he’s looking for and pulls it out. After slipping the shiny, transparent cover off, he tugs the record out of its sleeve. Carefully placing the needle on the outer edge of the black vinyl, he sits down and waits for the music to begin.

“[Vinyl] may be outdated, but nothing beats going to the store and picking a record up,” Diem says. “You put more effort into buying it, so you get more out of it in the end.”

Diem, who studies psychology at Millersville University, has a passion for collecting vinyl records, a habit that is becoming increasingly more commonplace among college students. He’s interested in how we acquire our music, whether it’s from iTunes, Bandcamp, streaming services, file-sharing or illegal means.

“There’s a time and a place for file-sharing websites, but if you have the means to support artists, you should,” Diem says.

There’s much to say about owning an mp3 rather than just renting it. For those who realize and acknowledge this, services such as Bandcamp, Soundcloud, and other free file-sharing websites are offered. On Bandcamp’s model, a user can upload their own music and charge what they want. Many artists offer a ‘pay what you want’ option; a way to avoid paying for downloads.

Monmouth University recently collected results from a survey taken from 5,000 Americans, which targeted how college students obtain their music. An article from Hypebot discussed the analysis, which showed that the students surveyed were more willing to pay for streaming services than non-students, but also heavily relied on the radio, CD’s and free video-streaming services such as YouTube. The article says students “would be more likely to convert to premium services if it [were] harder to get their music from free services.”

Free music seems to be everywhere if you look in the right places. BlogSpot has become a somewhat reliable source for file-sharing. Libraries are stocked full of CD’s ready to be ripped onto computers. Plus, there are the illegal ways of obtaining it. Diem thinks that matters “get complicated” when you start illegally downloading music.

“I prefer getting physical copies that come with the digital download,” he says.

Although the free alternatives are popular among students, the premium streaming websites are looked at favorably given that they offer convenience for the consumer.

Streaming services such as Spotify, Beats Music and Pandora offer a wide library of songs for a monthly fee, while others use a different model with no charge. These websites are quite popular among young adults in particular, because they’re easy to use and free. Examples of these services include Soundcloud and Last.fm.

A new streaming model called “Tidal” has recently swept over the music industry with claims of high quality lossless files and high royalty rates to songwriters and artists. The website is owned by Aspiro, a Swedish/Norwegian company. Project Panther Ltd, Jay-Z’s company, bought out Aspiro. While Tidal is more expensive than most traditional streaming services, the higher quality music and royalty rates are appraised for affecting the music industry in a positive way (contrary to what critics are saying about Spotify). A recent New York Times article revealed that “70 percent of the money a listener pays to Spotify goes to the rights holders, usually the labels, which play the largest role in determining how much artists are paid.” Tidal claims to differ form Spotify in that it can pay artists in a more direct way.

Rummaging in dusty, old record stores for used CDs and vinyl is Diem’s preferred way of doing things, and his passion is shared by much of his generation. Record Store Day is one of the ways that the vinyl market appeals to younger consumers.

Every year young adults pack into cramped record stores and spend hours flipping through records and CDs. The habit can get pretty expensive, with some Record Store Day releases priced as high as $50. It’s worth it though, all in the name of vinyl tradition and musical passion.