Celebrate your love for music with vinyl records

CHILLICOTHE— August is the month for old-school music lovers as Aug. 12 is National Vinyl Record Day and Aug. 29 is Record Store Day. These days both celebrate a music medium that has gone in and out of style over the years.

A vinyl record is a piece of music that has been pressed into a flat disc which can come in a variety of sizes but is most commonly found in the 12-inch form. This form of media was popular in and before the 1980s but was eventually replaced by CDs and digital streaming. However, in recent years they have regained their popularity with listeners collecting old and new records.

Jesse Mitten, owner of Apollo Records in Chillicothe, started his record store in 2015 after beginning his own collection of records and noticing there were few local music collection stores. Since starting the business he said he has seen the number of people collecting vinyl rise as well as a change in demographics.

"I have definitely seen a rise in younger people getting into it," said Mitten.

With newer artists, like Taylor Swift, putting out vinyl records when they release new music Mitten said he has had to start ordering more records to keep up with demand. While new artists are popular he said iconic records, like Pink Floyd or Michael Jackson, are still popular.

On special event days, Mitten has had people lining up outside to come into the store. This popularity doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon with more and more people getting into record collecting either because they like the vintage feel or because they like having a physical way to listen to music.

If you are just starting in your vinyl journey Mitten recommends buying whoever you like to listen to as that is what he did. This way you can listen to the music that makes you happy without having to worry about the collector aspect, which can come later.

Shelby Reeves is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. You can email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter@Shelby_Reeves_