Big music artists in 2023 like Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey and Tyler the Creator have caused sales on vinyl records to go up by a whopping 22%.
Since 2022, vinyl sales began to rise, and it was not until this year that vinyl records made a dramatic increase in sales. Many people have been questioning why the sudden interest in vinyl and other physical media like CD’s. While some claim the records have better quality than streaming devices and they bring back a sense of nostalgia.
Gen Z is not the only demographic to notice the sudden interest in vinyl. “It’s really convenient for me because I enjoy buying them and now, they’re not as available because so many people are buying them,” Ms. Bailey said.
Bailey has watched the stages of physical media evolve. From vinyl records, to cassettes, to compact discs (CDs), the world of music formats got smaller and more accessible until it reached peak ease with streaming in the early 2000s. “We’ve been online for a while,” Bailey said, “there isn’t a lot of satisfaction to just downloading a song. There’s something special with having a tangible object.”
Ms. Bailey expresses that being able to keep physical media close and protected is very special to her and others who own vinyl. “Everything online can just ‘poof’ disappear.”
Another teacher whose watched the evolution of physical music. “Things go in phases or cycles that kind of come and go.” Mr. Pearce said about the spike of vinyl interest. “People were amazed they could listen to anything anytime,” he says about streaming, “but there is less of a connection to things we stream. There isn’t anything to hold onto,” He adds on to the idea of streaming music.
“I don’t think that vinyl is better or think that streaming is better. They’re just practical for different times.” Mr. Pearce then explains how he applies these two ways of listening to music to his everyday life. “When I’m listening to vinyl records, it’s much more of a focused experience because today it’s very easy to get distracted.” He continues, “But I love to play music in my car that I stream or when I’m walking on a treadmill.”
He also adds onto the idea that streaming allows him to discover new artists, “It’s not very practical to buy a lot of records you don’t know the artist, it’s too much money,”
Although these two have similar feelings and opinions about vinyl, they do have quite the difference in taste of music. Ms. Bailey’s favorite record she owns is a repress of “Alice in Chains: Unplugged”. A friend of hers had been working at a record store and told her they had that record. “I’m literally getting my car.”
Mr. Pearce, however, enjoys listening to a record that his grandmother used to own. “It’s the soundtrack to the John Travolta movie, ‘Saturday Night Fever’.” The earliest memory he has with this record. “My grandmother loved to dance around her kitchen with the record on.”
It’s easy to shop at big stores like Target, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon; but it’s always best to support your local stores. Some of them being like Cactus Music, Vinyl Heaven, and Sweet Spot Audio and Records.
