Petition: Let’s stop shaming beginners for playing records on a Crosley. ✋🏽

One of the reasons Vinyl Deli exists is simple: to make vinyl collecting less gatekept, less pretentious, more human.

When I was younger, walking into a record shop didn’t feel exciting. It felt… guarded.

Like you had to prove you belonged there.

The only record shop near me was mostly rock. Hardly any hip-hop. Hardly any jazz or soul.

And worse than the limited selection was the attitude.

I remember walking into a shop during my uni years with a friend — both of us young, hungry, obsessed with making beats. When we said we were crate-digging for samples, the guy behind the counter practically sneered at us.

Like we weren’t real enough to be there.

That kind of attitude kills communities before they grow.

It’s worth remembering: Selling 70 records earns an artist as much as a million streams.

Every beginner matters. Every first record matters.

So when someone posts about their Crosley setup, don’t roll your eyes. Don’t mock them.

Encourage them. Educate them. Welcome them.

Show them what’s possible.

Because if we gatekeep vinyl, we kill it.

Thanks,
Jordan