Patina of Sound: Valuing Vinyl Records as Relics of Aged Interaction

In Things: In Touch with the Past (2019), Carolyn Korsmeyer builds on her earlier work in which she argues that our tactile interactions with objects connect us to the past, enriching our aesthetic experiences and imbuing artifacts with deeper meaning. Building on these insights, our paper addresses...

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Main Authors: Brandon Polite, Elizabeth Scarbrough
Format: Article
Language:ces
Published: University of Presov, Faculty of Arts 2025-07-01
Series:ESPES
Subjects:
Online Access:https://espes.ff.unipo.sk/index.php/ESPES/article/view/372
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author Brandon Polite
Elizabeth Scarbrough
author_facet Brandon Polite
Elizabeth Scarbrough
author_sort Brandon Polite
collection DOAJ
description In Things: In Touch with the Past (2019), Carolyn Korsmeyer builds on her earlier work in which she argues that our tactile interactions with objects connect us to the past, enriching our aesthetic experiences and imbuing artifacts with deeper meaning. Building on these insights, our paper addresses the puzzle of why some individuals prefer vinyl records despite the availability of music in sonically superior and cheaper digital formats. We argue that the physical act of handling records with care, being in touch with objects with unique histories, the traces of use and age that manifest in how they sound, and the extra effort involved in playing them contribute aesthetic dimensions to the experience of listening to music on vinyl that digital formats lack, which accounts for vinyl’s unique appeal.
format Article
id doaj-art-ddf670f187b3475b853ad545fa7d6fdd
institution Kabale University
issn 1339-1119
language ces
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher University of Presov, Faculty of Arts
record_format Article
series ESPES
spelling doaj-art-ddf670f187b3475b853ad545fa7d6fdd2025-08-20T03:56:23ZcesUniversity of Presov, Faculty of ArtsESPES1339-11192025-07-0114110.5281/zenodo.15835351292Patina of Sound: Valuing Vinyl Records as Relics of Aged InteractionBrandon Polite0Elizabeth Scarbrough1Knox CollegeFlorida International UniversityIn Things: In Touch with the Past (2019), Carolyn Korsmeyer builds on her earlier work in which she argues that our tactile interactions with objects connect us to the past, enriching our aesthetic experiences and imbuing artifacts with deeper meaning. Building on these insights, our paper addresses the puzzle of why some individuals prefer vinyl records despite the availability of music in sonically superior and cheaper digital formats. We argue that the physical act of handling records with care, being in touch with objects with unique histories, the traces of use and age that manifest in how they sound, and the extra effort involved in playing them contribute aesthetic dimensions to the experience of listening to music on vinyl that digital formats lack, which accounts for vinyl’s unique appeal.https://espes.ff.unipo.sk/index.php/ESPES/article/view/372vinylappreciative practicestouchcarolyn korsmeyerphilosophy of musicritualsage value
spellingShingle Brandon Polite
Elizabeth Scarbrough
Patina of Sound: Valuing Vinyl Records as Relics of Aged Interaction
ESPES
vinyl
appreciative practices
touch
carolyn korsmeyer
philosophy of music
rituals
age value
title Patina of Sound: Valuing Vinyl Records as Relics of Aged Interaction
title_full Patina of Sound: Valuing Vinyl Records as Relics of Aged Interaction
title_fullStr Patina of Sound: Valuing Vinyl Records as Relics of Aged Interaction
title_full_unstemmed Patina of Sound: Valuing Vinyl Records as Relics of Aged Interaction
title_short Patina of Sound: Valuing Vinyl Records as Relics of Aged Interaction
title_sort patina of sound valuing vinyl records as relics of aged interaction
topic vinyl
appreciative practices
touch
carolyn korsmeyer
philosophy of music
rituals
age value
url https://espes.ff.unipo.sk/index.php/ESPES/article/view/372
work_keys_str_mv AT brandonpolite patinaofsoundvaluingvinylrecordsasrelicsofagedinteraction
AT elizabethscarbrough patinaofsoundvaluingvinylrecordsasrelicsofagedinteraction