Junior Siena Tacy: Vinyl Records

Record players and vinyls are a symbol of the past, and the choice between using them or Spotify seems like an easy one, right? Vinyl collector junior Siena Tacy believes otherwise.

Tacy has over 70 vinyls in her collection and has been collecting them for close to two years. “There is something beautiful about having music in its physical form,” she said. “You can always have an album that you like on Spotify, but there’s something special to me about holding a song in your hands—cover and all.”

After being given her first record for Christmas, Tacy knew she had found something she loved. “My first record was ‘Apricot Princess’ by Rex Orange County,” she said. “It was the only record I had for a while, so I would just listen to it on repeat. I still play it almost every day.”

Tacy enjoys the individuality of each vinyl and how each one brings something different to her collection. “All vinyls are different and they each have a lot of work put into them,” she said. “Each artist gets to customize their record and it’s cool to see what they imagined their album to look like in its tangible form.”

Almost as important as the vinyls themselves is the record player. “I originally had a little suitcase record player from the brand Victrola,” Tacy said. After being pulled further into the world of vinyls and records, she upgraded to a more high-tech Fluance player.

When it comes to collecting vinyls, Tacy recommends beginners keep an open mind. “I’ve never gone into a record store looking for a particular record,” she said. “I always end up browsing and picking things that look interesting.”