“Take Those Old Records off the Shelf”: Youth and Music Consumption in the Postmodern Age

Abstract

This paper analyzes the (re)emergence of vinyl as an alternative format for music consumption in the digital age. Based on interviews conducted during recent field research on the affectivity of popular music, I argue that youth consumers adopt the seemingly regressive technology of LPs and turntables to resist industry‐regulated contemporary modes of music consumption. Furthermore, their participation in vinyl culture enables them to counteract two of postmodernism's core tenets: a preoccupation with nostalgia and a perceived loss of personal agency.