Escaping the “Iron Cage” of Digitalized Music Platforms: A Weberian Perspective on the Vinyl Resurgence

By drawing on Weber’s conflict theory, this study aims to explore how the growing popularity of vinyl records with mainstream consumers may be an escape from an ‘iron cage’ increasingly imposed by digital music providers. We found that mainstream consumers increasingly feel oppressed, exploited and trapped into an iron cage created by the digital music providers’ irrational rationalization of their services. The resulting tensions encourage them to turn to vinyl records’ materiality for comfort.