Cricket Wireless Turns Voicemails Into Custom Vinyl Records
A new Brooklyn event converts digital mobile audio recordings into permanent, physical vinyl discs.
Updated on Oct. 21, 2026 in Scrapbooking
Live Poll
Do you prefer preserving personal memories as physical objects rather than digital files?
Cricket Wireless recently launched a creative project called Vinyl Voicemails that allows users to preserve their digital messages as physical records. Visitors in Brooklyn used a live lathe service to permanently cut audio from their mobile devices onto custom vinyl discs.
Why it matters
The initiative addresses the common challenge of losing sentimental digital audio when upgrading mobile devices or switching service providers. By creating a physical keepsake, the project offers a way to archive personal history that transcends cloud-based storage limitations.
The project featured custom record sleeve designs created by artist Landon Khiry for participants. The process utilized a live lathe operated by Tangible Formats to etch the digital files onto blank vinyl surfaces.
The players
Cricket Wireless
This telecommunications company provides prepaid wireless services and organized the Vinyl Voicemails activation project.
Landon Khiry
Landon Khiry is an artist who provided the custom sleeve artwork for the vinyl records produced during the event.
Tangible Formats
This boutique audio studio performed the technical work of cutting digital recordings into vinyl surfaces using a live lathe.
The details
At the Vinyl + Thread record store, guests transferred audio files directly from their smartphones to be cut onto blank discs by a boutique audio studio. The resulting records serve as a tangible artifact of voice messages that might otherwise disappear during device transitions.
Timeline
October 2026: Cricket Wireless hosted the Vinyl Voicemails event.
Culture Shift
This project reflects a broader societal pivot toward tangible archiving as a response to the impermanence of digital data. It highlights a nostalgic shift where physical objects, such as vinyl records, are increasingly used to ground ephemeral memories in an era of constant hardware upgrades.
Residents who participated in the Brooklyn event have gained a physical memento that acts as a permanent audio archive. Others interested in such preservation may need to explore professional vinyl-cutting services, as this specific brand-sponsored event does not offer ongoing retail access.
The takeaway
Preserving sentimental audio as a physical object ensures that personal memories remain accessible regardless of future changes in mobile technology. Creating custom media can be an effective way to safeguard digital history against accidental deletion or device loss.
Further reading
Discover more ways to preserve your personal history at our Scrapbooking section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Creative Review.
Live Poll
Do you prefer preserving personal memories as physical objects rather than digital files?
