The exponentially reverberating trend of vinyl collecting has awakened a heated controversy. Record collecting and old school turntables are becoming a reawakened hobby. Yet at the same time, it has become a common theme for satire. It’s come down to two well known opposing sides: hipster vs. mainstream.

Many “mainstream” supporters who prefer music streaming mediums or iTunes to access their music like to denounce vinyl collectors. “Technology has gotten so much better, what’s the point in going back to the old ways?” Geneva’s Leah Groven said. “You can’t switch up artists between songs, you can’t mix it up like you can with a playlist.” For an industry that gets so much heat, and for the success that free music streaming has been receiving in the recent history, the outlook for vinyl survival is not promising.

Jack White, known for his work with The White Stripes and songs like “Seven Nation Army” or “Love is Blindness,” is an avid contributor to the vinyl movement. His corporation, Third Man Records, holds the hipster-inspiring slogan “Your turntable is not dead.” But how relevant is he? Where does the majority lie?

Voyager’s own Becca Koskiewicz recently gave music via vinyl a try. “I was surprised by how good the sound was when I was listening to it,” she said. “It felt more special listening to music like the Beatles on records, since that was how it was originally experienced. I felt closer to the music.” Delaney Pannier also said she’s “definitely for it. It’s the physical action of setting the record on the turntable and listening to old music how it was listened to back then, it’s the atmosphere of it that I like.”

To back up these supporters, Time.com claims vinyl sales have increased by 52.1% in 2015, and their revenue has exceeded that of the music streaming industry giant, Spotify, by over $63 million. Part of what is keeping this industry alive is the new inflation on their prices. A SeniorPlanet.org study found the average price of vinyls to be around $25, and some can even grow to as much as $75. Izzy Devlin, another supporter of the vinyl, claims, “It’s expensive since it’s vintage, but it’s worth it. The aesthetic of it is very cool.”

    The resurgence of vinyls brought plenty of cynics who don’t support retreating back to “the old ways,” but the vinyl industry’s recent success over the popular use of music streaming proves Jack White’s claim to be true, “your turntable is not dead.”