On 12th August each year, you are encouraged to celebrate National Vinyl Record Day and play records on the turntable rather than hitting play on your regular online music streamer.
It started with Emile Berliner, a German-born American inventor who in 1887, further developed the wax cylinder based phonograph which had earlier been created by Thomas Edison. Berliner created the flat phonograph disc, or record, across which the stylus moved horizontally, with less distortion than moving vertically as on a phonograph cylinder. These new discs were unfortunately brittle with limited playtime before degrading in quality and it wasn’t until the late 1940s that the modern flexible plastic vinyl record, came into being.
Florida, Miami, Wynwood Life Street Festival, DJ at work. Image: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group 
San Francisco, California: c. 1948. “”Cowboy Bob”” hosting his popular Western music show on KYA radio. Image: Underwood Archives/Universal Images Group 
Florida, Miami Beach, Scratch Dj Academy. Image: Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group 
Old vinyl LP records on sale, Marlesford Mill, Suffolk, England, UK. Image: Geography Photos/Universal Images Group 
Line Renaud in the backstage of a radio station. c.1954-1955. Image: Photo12/Universal Images Group 
American domestic interior showing portable Vinyl Record player and discs, USA 1965. Image: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group 
Record Player on table in blue room. Image: Eric Schwortz/Glasshouse Images/Universal Images Group 
DJ performance at dance party. Image: Ton Koene/VWPics/Universal Images Group 
DJ performance at dance party. Image: Ton Koene/VWPics/Universal Images Group 
Consumer electronics in Soviet Russia circa 1962: television and record player. Image: Universal Histroy Archive/Universal Images Group 
DJ performance at dance party. Image: Ton Koene/VWPics/Universal Images Group 
Recording industry. Control of the phonographic records. 1961. . Image: Touring Club Italiano/Universal Images Group 
Recording industry. 1961. Image: Touring Club Italiano/Universal Images Group 
Tourists in a motoryacht cabin. Ischia. 1961. Image: Touring Club Italiano/Universal Images Group 
Dansette Bermuda mono record player on display as auction lot, UK. Image: Geography Photos/Universal Images Group
In 1948, Columbia Records introduced the long-playing (LP) record, which, with a rotational speed of 33 1/3 RPM and the use of very fine grooves, could yield up to 30 minutes of playing time per side. Shortly afterward RCA Corporation introduced the smaller size 7 inch 45-RPM disc, which could play for up to 8 minutes per side. Stereophonic (or “stereo”) systems, with two separate (left and right) channels of information in a single groove, became a commercial reality in 1958.
As time passed, and technology developed, vinyl records undoubtedly faced competition from newer formats such as cassette tapes, CDs, digital downloads and currently, music streaming. Each of these innovations promised improved sound quality and greater convenience. However, despite these advancements, vinyl records (‘vinyl’) never disappeared. Its unique sound quality and experience ensured its place in music.
Since the early 2000s, vinyl has seen a remarkable resurgence. This revival wasn’t just about nostalgia, it was a reaction to the somewhat sterile sound of digital formats and a renewed appreciation for the physical experience of handling records. This was being rediscovered by older generations and also younger music enthusiasts who were new to the format.
Men’s hands browse through vinyl records at an enthusiast’s Record Fair in Totnes, Devon, UK. Image: Andy Soloman/UCG/Universal Images Group 
Old vintage HMV record plater wooden cabinet on sale ay auction, UK. Image: Geography Photos/Universal Images Group 
Young women dancing at home, 1960-70. Image: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group 
Record player, vinyl record. Image: Ernest Photography/AGB Photo Library/Universal Images Group 
Athens, Georgia, Wuxtry Records, vinyl tapes CDs music store, record display. Image: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group 
FERA 1971: Stereo record player. Image: RDB/Dukas/Universal Images Group 
Pat Boone 45 RPM vinyl single record London label on display in auction room, UK – With the Wind and the Rain in your Hair. Image: Geography Photos/Universal Images Group 
Athens, Georgia, Wuxtry Records, vinyl tapes CDs music store, customers shopping. Image: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group 
A-Frame sign outside small business, Vinyl Records, We buy sell trade, Queens, New York. Image: Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group 
Washington, D.C. 1979 Georgetown University students looking through racks of record albums at a record store. Image: Thomas O’Halloran/LoC/Underwood Archives/Universal Images Group 
Vinyl records for sale in street and flea market in Aveiro, Portugal. Image: Nano Calvo/VWPics/Universal Images Group
There is more of a connection to the music, the physical record, the artwork on the cover and ‘sleeve notes’ about the band and the songs. Plus the almost ritualistic motions of selecting a record to play, taking it out of the cover, maybe blowing some dust off it, placing it on the turntable and lowering the needle of the tone arm to start playing the music.
Today, vinyl records are more popular than they’ve been in decades. Record stores have experienced a renaissance. There are special edition records, reissues, a healthy second hand vinyl market and new releases from current bands available on vinyl. National Vinyl Record Day serves as a reminder of the medium’s legacy and its continued relevance in a digital world.
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Sources:
http://www.vinylinfo.org/news/celebrating-national-vinyl-record-day/