Vinyl is gaining popularity as it grows in the shadow of the flighty MP3.

In Salem, the pickings are a bit slim compared to Portland; however, the longevity of Salem's main record shop, Ranch Records, speaks highly of the loyalty of local vinyl enthusiasts. Since the mantra of a vinyl collector is 'quality over quantity', Salem's lack of record shops does not reflect the people's passion for vinyl and what it represents.

The great shift from tangible music to digital music began a decade ago with Napster and it has turned the entire music business upside down. The Wal-Marts and the Geffens have been fighting against the caffeinated students in their dorm rooms for market share. In the spoils of this guerrilla battle, the vinyl record has emerged as a dark-horse medium that thrives because of the culture which surrounds it. By stocking more vinyl than CDs, Ranch Records is ahead of the curve in anticipating the shift toward tangible music purchases instead of intangible downloading.

This grassroots enthusiasm grows in Salem each Saturday at Venti's Cafe as DJ Timmy spins his records or across town at the Can-Can room where DJ Hit N Runn does the same. Their love for the turntable and the Do-It-Yourself mentality that vinyl represents pours into the crowd and spawns other artistic ventures. College students at Willamette use recycled vinyl for mixed-media collages and artists at the Saturday market use it for jewelry.

Across the country, the vinyl movement has recently peaked its head above ground to report increasing vinyl sales across the country. According to the Nielsen SoundScan figures from November 2009, there have been 2 million vinyl records sold in the U.S. this year to date. This tops the 1.5 million that had been sold by the same time in 2008. Although these numbers pale in comparison with Lady Gaga's 11 million digital tracks over the same period, the method of acquisition reveals the power of the vinyl trend.

For the vinyl junkie in search of a particular LP, the method of acquisition is simple: They go to the nearest record shop, chat with the record shop worker, and physically hand money in exchange for an item the size of a dozen iPods.

The simplicity involved in such an “in-person” purchase reveals a much more sincere interest in the product and the art that went into it. A vinyl record purchase is not a result of clever advertising or media saturation; in fact, it is the polar opposite.

For an artist such as Lady Gaga, there is no difference between her distribution and the distribution of a product like Coca-Cola. Each is distributed on a massive scale, advertised to the point of saturation, and the consumer can acquire the product or song via countless avenues. Whether mini-mart, airport, or sports venue for Coca-Cola and cell phone, iPod, or Internet for a Lady Gaga MP3 - the artist/product and consumer relationship remains identical. It is a numbers game and a small percentage on a large scale is enough for any giant industry to make money.

The culture of vinyl speaks to artists rather than consumers and Salem is increasingly being inhabited by the former. Whether it is sleeve art, sound quality, or the enjoyment of listening to music at home instead of on the go, the community of vinyl enthusiasts in Salem and elsewhere is expanding rapidly. Hop on board and enjoy the spin.