Vinyl 101

At Freestyle Vinyl, we understand that you are passionate about your vinyl record collection. There are plenty of things you may want to remember when collecting vinyl records, including proper care and maintenance, audio listening experience expectations, and expected vinyl record lifetime. 

Vinyl 101
  • Caring for Your Vinyl Records
  • When you are a vinyl record collector, you’ll want to to care for your records accordingly. Part of taking care of them is investing in the right cleaning tools that will help get the job done. As we all know, dirt, grime, debris, and other pollutants may impact the album's sound quality, but being armed with enough information on how to care for them will help you avoid this plight.

    Provide your records with a long life by regularly utilizing a surface cleaning solution, an antistatic brush, and a microfiber antistatic cleaner. Clean before and after playing your record. Make sure that the surface is free of dust before you proceed with a wet cleaning. Never use too much pressure when cleaning, as this may impact the grooves negatively.

    Alongside this tip, you should also focus on proper storage and handling of each album in your collection. Be sure you have an inner and outer sleeve for each record, to ensure safety and security when the record is not being played. Never touch the grooves with your fingertips to avoid scratching them, and to maintain the sound quality. 

  • How Long do Vinyl Records Last?
  • Vinyl records will last as long as you allow them to! In pristine conditions, vinyl records can last up to (and beyond?) a hundred years. But of course, we cannot reiterate enough that proper storage, handling, and cleaning all play a crucial role in achieving these results. 

    Vinyl record degradation happens when the record is exposed to extreme temperatures, dust, debris, grime, and other pollutants. Too much humidity and moisture will impact the sound quality of the record too.

    Keeping them inside a cabinet or their respective storage area too long can, believe it or not, also have negative effects. Sometimes, you may tend to be overprotective of this precious collection of yours, and when that happens, you end up just allowing them to sit in the storage area, without checking on them from time to time. Before you know it, the sleeve had melted and got stuck on the vinyl itself. This can definitely mean that you will no longer be able to enjoy the record like you want.

    Why Choose Freestyle Vinyl?

    Freestyle Vinyl launched its business in 2017, with the mission to bring records to the world that help celebrate important moments, and that can last a lifetime or more. We have seen how the music world has been slowly transitioning to digital streaming, and love that element of the new age of music. But right alongside that new digital world of audio is the perfect place for custom vinyl records that are special, mean something significant to you, and provide an indelible, incredible listening experience.

    We want you to know that the art of appreciating music may have changed through the years, but nothing beats being able listen to your favorite tunes, all in one go. At Freestyle Vinyl, we meet our customers where they are, so that they can personalize a record exactly to their taste!

    To learn more about vinyl, contact us today!