Why Would I Want A Record Player?

I really, really, really want a record player, just a basic turntable I can hook up to my Mac and speakers and listen to music. Considering that physical data storage devices (i.e. - records, cassettes, CDs) are becoming an outdated medium, it is interesting that people actually still buy vinyl records.

When I went to preschool, we would always have Sing & Dance time. The teacher would put some dainty music on and we would gather and dance in a circle. This was all circa 1990. Cassette tapes were still very much in use but my teacher would pull out vinyl records and play them for use to dance to. I can't even remember what songs were played, but yeah, they were played right off of vinyl records.

So what's the fascination with records? There's that understood debate that vinyl records have the best playback quality. I think even though quality is very important with music, the portability aspect is the biggest downfall of the record, and subsequently the CD. I know DJs use records but there is s much music engineering technology that most just hook up their computers to digital turntables and jam away.

I think this limitation in music portability is what made records, tapes and CDs so valuable. Think about it. It's the 90s. You're getting ready for a 5 hour flight, and you only have enough room for a couple CDs. You're gonna pick your favorite CDs or that new CD that you really want to listen to. I think we appreciated the CDs we kept with us more by not having all of our music with us all at once.

[Update: Probably won't get a turntable until I have my own apartment.]