Vinyl is all the rage. We recently reported on the huge number of vinyl albums purchased in 2014, and if you’re longing to expand your collection or simply to experience the joy of playing a record, you might want to try VNYL. The rental service just got funded through Kickstarter and is essentially Netflix for vinyl albums but with a few differences–one of those being that VNYL has a little more personality. The services seems to focus on the curated experience of listening to music just as much as the business of lending titles.
VNYL has a library of albums, but you don’t choose the specific records you receive. You choose your favorite “#Vibes,” and VNYL curates a selection of albums for you. The #Vibes/categories include #gamenight, #lazysaturday, #cooking, #work, and more. VNYL will ship three 12″ LPs inspired by your chosen vibes to your doorstep each month. Based on the Kickstarter rewards, it looks like the cost is roughly $10 per month. You can keep the records as long as you like, and if you fall in love with one of the albums, you can opt to purchase it for around $12/album. You can send back any albums that you don’t care for.
Back to that experiential aspect: each record comes with a paper sleeve insert. Borrowers are encouraged to write thoughts and memories about the records they listen to on the sleeve so the vinyl’s journey is documented. It’s like a guest book, and I think it’s a nice personal touch.
VNYLÂ is invite only right now, but you can request an invitation and get on the waiting list. They’re kicking off shipments next month, and I expect they’ll open enrollment for more subscribers soon.
What do you think of VNYL? Would you try out a service like this? Let us know in the comments!
HT: Gizmodo, featured image by Trevor Lowe
sounds pretty interesting….
What a ridiculous idea! Why would I want to listen to an LP that’s had everyone’s grubby hands all over it, and just to send random vinyl out is just plain stupid! Stop with your hipster ideas, that beard is making you Even more stupid!
Yes!! A lot of collectible vinyl is used anyway, and this way you get to listen to the record before purchasing. To be honest, I thought it would be more expensive
Wow, lots of negativity here! Let me say that I think this is a really cool concept, and I’d like to see what happens! I dig their passion for the idea that vinyl, in this day and age, is meant to be a physical thing that, yep, might actually be worn out at some point. I’m wondering how these vibes will work, though… will everyone be getting the same records, or will the (self-proclaimed) nerds at HQ be making piles for each vibe, and you get whichever three they grab? Anyway, I’m down for a little experiment, I guess. If I were to buy the $30 package, I’d end up paying $15.33 an album if I kept them all. If I don’t, it’s still a neat experiment. I’ve actually been looking at a lot of online subscriptions to maybe expand my collection.
The last thing I want to do is put my cartridge on some record that has been passed around and ruined by a bunch a nerds with garbage equipment. I guess this is designed for poor college kids with 50$ Crosley tables.
…what a stupid, ridiculously hipsterish idea. They must be kidding.
is this available in Canada
Personally, I wouldn’t want to buy any vinyl that other people have messed with. There are far too many ways for a record to get scratched. Feel me?
Too expensive, albums are not all that great and it really takes away from crate digging.
Vinyl is a pain to ship most of the time. I would be scared to try this service. Let alone I can expand my own collection for the cost of this each month.
Actually it’s very easy since they make vinyl shipping boxes, and with media mail it’s one of the cheapest to ship for having such a big surface area.
I do agree it’s kind of a waste of money since I buy all mine anyway