Vinyl Listening Party

“Record Player” by Hoffnungsschimmer on Flickr

I was chatting with a fellow staff member the other day about Vinyl. The conversation went back and forth between the two of us about the merits of Vinyl and how we thought it was by far the best audio format. Eventually, we had to get back to work but the conversation really stuck with me. First, it was great to be able to chat with someone that thought Vinyl was as great as I did. The part that really stuck out was what we didn’t talk about and that was sharing our collections with others. How could we share this great audio format with friends and family? Then it dawned on me. A Listening Party! I went back to her a few days later and brought up my idea. She of course thought it was great (I am her boss after all) and below are some steps we came up with to throw an awesome Vinyl Listening Party.

Who do you invite?
This one is simple, people you enjoy. In an ideal setting, you’d have a very musically diverse group of people. Any kind of music is welcome and open discussions encouraged. Think of how cool it would be if you had a relative or friend in from another country and they brought their favourite album!

Rules?
This is entirely up to you. Personally, I’d have very few rules. I would set a limit on the songs that can be played by a person off of an album. Two or three perhaps. I’d ensure that there was no discussions to take place while the song is being played so everyone can experience the song.

Atmosphere?
This is a bit different and again entirely up to you. Obviously, you need to provide a turntable and preferably a sound system. There are turntables that have built in speakers and if that is all you have it will still work. Remember, the reason to have a listening party is to expose a lot of people to different music and the vinyl format. Anything after that is up to you.

What Kind of Music is to be Brought?
This is the fun part. People can bring whatever they feel like! If they found a rare bootleg at a swap meet and want to bring it then awesome! If they want to bring Paul Anka even better!! I only ask that attendees bring music that has had an impact on them. Also keep in mind that this can be used as an opportunity to swap and trade albums with the group as well so more than one album can be brought.

There you have it. A listening party is a fun, simple way to show off your Vinyl collection and involve your friends in the experience. Who knows, you might start to like Paul Anka too! Don’t forget your local London Drugs has hundreds of titles to choose from so if you are stuck on what to bring we can help!

Josh Halliday
@LD_StVital