Library gives vinyl club a spin

In 2022, vinyl record sales surpassed that of CDs for the first time since 1987 with 41 million units sold compared to CDs’ 35 million. This comes in the 17th consecutive year of continued growth in vinyl sales, dubbed the “vinyl revival.” In fact, in January of this year, Taylor Swift’s “Midnights” became the first 21st century album to sell over  a million vinyl LPs. The Custer County Library has picked up on this rising popularity and thus has a new club offering.
Vinyl enthusiasts, audiophiles and music lovers of all ages and musical tastes are encouraged to be a part of the new vinyl record club. People are encourgaed to bring a record to share a song with the group or just enjoy listening to the records others may show up with.
The first meeting was held on Wednesday, Mar. 22, at 5 p.m. and will be held monthly in the programming room. Librarian Sari Christiansen explained that in the past, people could check out CDs and even vinyl records from the library, so this program is a way for the library to continue bringing music to the community.
Attendees of the first meeting spun the tunes of Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett, Dorothy Moore, Nirvana, Mason Proffit, Jewel, Tyler Childers, Madonna and even a recording of South Dakota’s first poet laureate Badger Clark reading his poetry.
Each song played seem to lead to a new topic of conversation for the group: concerts they wish they could have attended, memories of the golden age of vinyl when new records could be bought for only a dollar or the teenage rebellion of ordering a Madonna record. As one attendee pointed out, the club highlights one of the best things about music: sharing it with others.
Keep an eye on the library’s event calander or the Black Hills Live page of the Western Trader for the date of the next meeting, which is yet to be determined.