Now Spinning: share what's on your turntable
"Now spinning" posts are a small ritual for record collectors: a photo of the sleeve next to the turntable, posted to a story. Shelfify 1.1.0 makes that picture for you from any record in your collection, in a few taps, and it is all made on your phone. Some call it now playing, some ask what's spinning: it is the same idea. Below is how to make one, and a few ideas for what to post.
- Open a record and tap the round share button at its bottom left. Or tap the round record button at the bottom right of the Records tab, choose Share your shelf and swipe the wheel at the bottom to Now Spinning.
- Pick a look and a size: 9:16 for a story, 4:5 for the feed.
- Tap the Instagram button for a story, or Save or share for everything else.
The looks
The Looks button on the card's edge shows every look as a small picture of your record. Sleeve shows the cover with the record sliding out. Polaroid tapes it to a walnut table. Record shows the record itself, with the cover as its label.
Then there are the rooms, where the cover leans next to a turntable: Morning light, Afternoon, Bauhaus, Concrete, Rainy evening, Late night, Jazz bar and Skyline, and since 1.1.0 twelve more, from Music room and Penthouse to Desert motel, Reggae porch, Afrobeat and Surreal. Pick the one that fits the record.
Make it yours
- Drag the words to move them, pinch to make them smaller or larger. The arrow on the card's edge puts them back.
- The Aa button opens the fonts, each shown as a sample: Serif, Classic, Sans and Mono, plus Elegant, Geometric, Condensed, Typewriter, Script and Marker when your phone has them.
- To pick another record, tap the record row at the top of the card.
As a video, or with your own turntable
Switch Photo to Video at the top of the editor, and every look, the rooms included, becomes a looping video for your story, in the 9:16 size: the record slides out or turns, the polaroid develops, and the words rise in. Pick 10, 15, 30 or 60 seconds.
Or film your turntable: tap Film your turntable on the card's edge and record up to 8 seconds of the record spinning with the Now Spinning label on screen. In an Instagram story the label comes along as a sticker you can move. For every other app the clip gets a frame with the label burned in. With the microphone allowed, the clip has the sound of your record too. To send what you play to Last.fm as well, see scrobbling with Now Spinning.
Ideas for your now spinning posts
- The first spin of a new record, the day it comes home.
- A record of the day: one album every morning, for a week or a month.
- A theme week: only debut albums, only one label, or only records older than you.
- Sunday morning or late night: match the room look to the mood and the hour.
- The pressing story: a reissue next to the original, or the copy you hunted for years.
Common hashtags are #nowspinning, #nowplaying, #vinylcommunity, #vinyloftheday and #whatsonyourturntable. At home many collectors put the sleeve on a small now playing stand next to the turntable; the room looks give you that picture without one.
Questions
What is a now spinning post?
A photo or story of the record you are playing right now, usually the sleeve next to the turntable. Collectors post them on Instagram, Threads and in vinyl groups, often with #nowspinning.
Is there a now playing template for vinyl?
The Now Spinning card works like one: pick a record from your collection and choose one of 20 rooms, the sleeve, a polaroid or the record itself. Title, artist and year are filled in for you.
Do I need a now playing stand?
No. A stand shows the sleeve at home. For a story, the room looks put the cover next to a turntable for you, or you can film your own turntable for up to 8 seconds.
Is it free?
Yes. Making and sharing Now Spinning pictures and videos is free, on iPhone, iPad, Android and Macs with Apple silicon.
Every picture carries a small Shelfify mark, quiet enough that your record leads. Tap it to switch styles; one of them is a QR code to shelfify.app. Sharing is free, and nothing is uploaded: the picture is made on your phone and goes only where you send it.
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