Records get scratches because of
- how they're made,
- how they're played, and
- how they're kept.
Records are pressed into vinyl, a type of plastic. Vinyl is soft, so it's more easily scratched than other materials. Records are played with a stylus (called a needle, commonly) that tracks the groove and vibrates by the wave pattern recorded in it. If the tonearm of the player gets jostled, the needle will scrape across the surface of the record; and because the needle is made of diamond, it is a lot harder than the surface of the groove wall. Hence the scratch.
Records can also be harmed by dust and dirt that is not cleaned out of the grooves. Various cleaning kits are available, but remember to always follow the instructions, and never clean a vinyl record in the same manner as a CD!
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