If you were to step into sophomore Betty Riddle’s room, you would be immediately greeted by rhythmic beats and melodies pouring from her boombox. On top of it lies a collection of her favorite CDs, with more than 30 additional records placed in the corner of her room. Countless more can be found in her cabinet.
Riddle and her family have been collecting physical media, like vinyls and CDs, for as long as she can remember. Her family’s love for American media began after moving from England when she was three.
“I started getting my own CDs and my own vinyls when I was really little, and I had so much fun with being able to listen through every single song and learning new songs,” Riddle said. “Because you have one album, then you end up listening to every song. So then I would have albums that I loved every single song,”
As they listened and sang along, Riddle recalls her dad reminding them to be careful not to knock the vinyl off the record player.
“Just seeing my dad’s collection [physical media] when I was little, I was always like, ‘I want to do that too,’” Riddle said. “I remember it was so fun when we would dance around to all the different songs. My dad would always be like, ‘stay away from the record player because you’re gonna knock it off.’”
In the summer of her eighth grade year she bought her first CD: “Is This It” by The Strokes.
“It was an album that really brought my whole friend group [together],” Riddle said. “We related to all of the songs and listened to them all together.”
Ever since she purchased her first CD, her collection has grown rapidly.
“All my favorite CDs I keep on top of my boombox, I have about 30 to 40 records just in the corner of my room [and even more] in cabinets,” Riddle said.
Riddle’s collection goes beyond just playing music; it sets a unique atmosphere that her friends embrace.
“Everyone who comes into her room definitely thinks it’s really cool, and so do I,” said sophomore Savanna Rizk, Riddle’s friend. “It’s just a really cool environment. She showed me so much music where I’m like, ‘wow, this is really great,’ and I know a lot of my friends started collecting vinyls after she did as well.”
Riddle feels holding an artist’s physical media is ‘more valuable’ than streaming the music.
“It kind of makes music less special, [but] when you put a vinyl [onto a record player] at a party or something, it’s just more memorable,” Riddle said. “[It] makes a physical memory.”
Some of Riddle’s most rare vinyls in her collection are original pressings.
“Sometimes [the original pressings] have other posters or things that [the artist has] written and stuff like that,” Riddle said. “That’s really helpful to connect with an artist. Also, just being able to have their original work. It also sounds different once you put it through studio, or the remastered versions and editions. They do end up sounding different, although it’s not really obvious.”
For others thinking about starting a collection of physical media, Riddle recommends trying to find shops that specialize in Vinyls or CDs.
“Opposed to just going to Barnes and Noble, [someone] should try and find real record stores like Purple Dog Records in Downtown Naperville,” Riddle said. “There’s also good ones in Wheaton. Go there, because the people that work there know way more about the music.”
Riddle has also influenced her friends to start collecting media too. After Riddle introduced Rizk to Purple Dog Records, Rizk bought a vinyl of her own. But beyond just collecting records, music has shaped Riddle’s life.
“She’s just really big on music and it’s a [big] part of her, she’s one of those people who really loves art.” Rizk said. “She has rhythm, even in the way she walks.”
