Still Playing: Vinyl Record Documentary, five years on

We're approaching Record Store Day 2026, a Saturday on which I usually spend WAAAAYYYY too much money and regret none of it. Record Store Day always makes me think of a radio documentary I made with two students, released five years ago for Record Store Day 2021.

Gianluca Wants a Record Player followed Applied Computing student Gianluca Zuccarelli on a quest to get into vinyl. The documentary asked some deceptively simple questions: what is it about records that keeps drawing people in? Does vinyl actually sound better than Spotify? And should Gianluca even bother buying a record player at all? It originally aired on Beat 102-103 on Easter Sunday, 4th April 2021, and is still available to listen to online. (It's also available on all the usual podcast platforms - a quick search will bring it up)

The five-year anniversary of this project makes me think about how things have changed over that period. The world of 2021 seems like an alien planet compared to today, what with all the COVID restrictions. It feels like a lifetime ago. My children were all small, whereas now I have three teenagers in the house and one tween. In other ways, it feels like we were only making this documentary yesterday.

The general findings of the documentary still ring true. Music streaming is convenient and continues to be the way the majority of people listen. However, vinyl sales haven't subsided - if anything, they've increased - as more and more people get into the medium. My own belief is that intentional listening is at the heart of this. There's no mindless scrolling or algorithmic decisions being made. It's a human choosing to listen to music made by other humans. One of my favourite pubs (Downes in Waterford) has vinyl DJs every weekend. I think people go along because whatever is played (and it's an eclectic mix), you can be sure the DJs put thought, time, and consideration into their selection. If nothing else, they're carting boxes of heavy vinyl around and that takes effort! That's not simply pressing "automix" on a laptop. I'm sure this intentionality is also a factor behind the rise of CD sales. I see a lot of young people going around with Discmans, and this is reflected in the growing CD section at my local record store (Luca Records - awesome shop, by the way. Great coffee too).

If anything, music streaming has got both worse and better. The landscape is littered with AI slop - music that has no soul but clogs up playlists. However, the sound quality from some services has really improved. I personally use Apple Music, as we have the family plan, and I've really noticed a positive shift in audio quality, especially when paired with good headphones. Some of the Spatial Audio tracks are amazing, especially with classical music. Seriously, if you're on Apple Music, try the playlist "The Decca Sound in Spatial Audio" and you'll be amazed.

That's all well and good. But mostly when I think about Gianluca Wants a Record Player, I think about the two students I made it with: Gianluca Zuccarelli and Andrew Brennan. It was a mad project to embark on at the time, but I think it also helped to keep us sane. Both have long since graduated and are getting on well. Gianluca is working for a technology company and is now based in Cork. Andrew is in Dublin, working in the technology department for a financial services company. Last year, Gianluca got married and we all got together at the wedding celebrations. I get a real kick from seeing young people progress in their lives, finding their way and thriving.

After both students had finished their exams in 2021 and were officially no longer students, they came out to the village I live in and we went for a coffee. They gave me a gift of a record - Currents by Tame Impala (one of the best albums of the 21st century, in my opinion). Every time I listen to it, I think of them, smile and wonder how they're getting on.

That sort of connection is made possible through a physical object. The vinyl doesn't store my memories - but it's a catalyst for bringing memories and thoughts to the surface. To me, that's priceless.

That's my story, anyway, and the way I justify spending a ridiculous amount of money on vinyl this weekend.