Story by Nick Erickson, Assistant Features Editor
Photo by Nick Bohannon/The News
It’s undeniable that everyone listens to music. The preferred method of listening to music varies from person to person, however. In the middle of a digital age, millions use streaming services such as Spotify or Apple Music. On the analog side, some people prefer purchasing physical CD copies of albums. More recently, vinyl records have made a surging comeback.
Terrapin Station, located on the south end of Murray, is home to a wide array of music. Owner Tim Peyton said over his years of business, the number of vinyl sales has risen exponentially.
“Around 2008 I started noticing people ordering them more, more availability from our distributor and people were selling more of them to us locally,” Peyton said. “In 2011, I remember talking with Valerie Hancock, one of the owners of the shop and her saying that within two or three years she thought we’d be selling more records than CDs all together.”
I’d say about 15-20 people buy records from us a day on average, some more some less.
Peyton said it was in 2014 when the store began regularly selling more vinyls.
“We sold more and more records each year since,” Peyton said. “CD sales have dwindled a lot, some days we don’t sell any. This was never the case with vinyl.
As with most things in life, there are pros and cons to music streaming services in regards to artists. Peyton said he believes no matter how someone feels about it, they should at least acknowledge that streaming probably is only going to increase in use.
“From the point of view of someone whose livelihood partially depends of sales of physical media, sometimes it’s a hard thing to observe,” Peyton said. “ It seems like, from where I sit, that if people are going to actually pay for new music these days, that a lot of people prefer to go ahead and buy vinyl. Some people have the mindset of ‘if I can just stream it, why would I buy a CD?’”
Peyton said he believes there is a discernable difference in quality in listening to vinyl opposed to digital.
“It can be difficult, in my experience, to tell the difference in sound quality between a CD and streaming but with vinyl you can really tell a difference,” Peyton said. “ You can hear the reason you wanted to pay for the music you just bought.”
In addition to music, Terrapin Station sells a variety of other items including books and shirts. Peyton said this has also been crucial in keeping the store thriving over the years.
“It would be nearly impossible for a shop like ours to stay open if all we sold was music,” Peyton said. “You have to try your best to adapt, pay attention to what your customer base wants from their experience in the shop and ride the wave.”
As vinyl sales skyrocket, Peyton says he hopes Terrapin Station will tread the same path.
“We’re selling more records than ever and hosting more live music than ever with bands from all over the country multiple days a week and continue creating a unique atmosphere Murray deserves,” Peyton said. “As long as people want that to be the case, we will be here.”