A new generation comes to call

St. Vital

Ray Giguere opened Argy’s Records in 1982, on St. Mary’s Road across from Glenlawn Collegiate, he sold records, tapes, poster and T-shirts. Over the decades, he’s seen vinyl LP and cassette sales be usurped by CD and he’s seen the music industry as a whole take a hit during the era of download piracy, followed by the rise of streaming subscription services.

Never did he think he’d see the resurgence in interest for vinyl that he has experienced since 2021. Despite the popularity of streaming and digital music, authenticity seems to be the desire amongst Gen X and the millennial generation.

My soon-to-be-18-year-old great-niece recently supplied me with her birthday list. I was taken aback to see that five vinyl records from the ’70s were included — some of which I still have in my own collection.

Fleetwood Mac was at the top of the list, and when I asked one of Argy’s staff members why, I was asked if my great-niece is a “Swiftie”. Oh yes, she is, I replied.

Apparently, Taylor Swift fans see Stevie Nicks as an iconic female lead singer who made headway in the rock world. That makes sense to me, as this young generation is acknowledging the history of women singers and fuelling their resurgence. The trend now is that record stores are “a third place” — beyond home and work or school – to learn about and obtain music. Buying a 12-inch vinyl record comes with an esthetic, providing you with something you can touch or hold, which you can’t do with digital music.

I recall the bus trips downtown of my youth, visiting the hub of music stores such as Mother’s Music, Opus 69, and Autumn Stone, all of which all had most incredible Boxing Day sales — albums adorned with orange, $6.99 price tags.

Balancing annual subscription fees versus the cost of an album seems to be a no brainer, when it comes to digging into our pocketbooks. And nothing beats the physical experience — the crackle when the needle first touches the record, looking at a full-sized, creative cover or viewing the photos and linear notes sequestered inside like personal hidden treasures written from the artist.

So why the renewed interest in vinyl? The sound quality for one, the historical and collectible value, plus the durability of the medium itself. CDs degrade over time, but vinyl doesn’t. Many Argy’s customers arrive with modern music on their minds yet often leave with long-playing albums from the ’70s and ’80s.

While many of us Boomers are revisiting our oldies, the Gen Xers are diggin’ vinyl, too. It’s run full circle. Look around the next time you go to a concert featuring a mature pop group or singer — you’ll see plenty of parents and kids paired up in the seats. Some of that is due to appreciation of music written years ago, and some of it is new artists taking older tunes and giving them their own twist, such as Disturbed’s version of Simon and Garfunkel’s The Sound of Silence or Halsey and Kelsea Ballerini’s rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams.

Many contemporary local artists are now releasing vinyl versions of their albums. Included in the selection at Argy’s are Boy Golden’s new release, Best of our Impossible Lives, albums by Juno Award winner William Prince, the Dirty Catfish Band, indie folk artist Fontine, Scott Nolan, and the Bros. Landreth.

You’ll also find plenty of music-related merchandise. Countless posters and unisex T-shirts crowd the walls for your full shopping pleasure. If you have any old vinyl collecting dust, Argy’s pays for gently used records.

Discover more at www.argy.ca, visit the store at Unit 9-1604 St. Mary’s Road, or call Ray at 204-253-8452 for stock updates.