They say that everything comes back into fashion, and this time it’s the turn of the good old-fashioned record players and accompanying vinyls.
In an era, where everything is online and in just two taps of a button, you can access the whole library of Spotify or Apple music. With over 100 million different songs to choose from; it’s no wonder the current generation are craving that nostalgic feeling of something outside of the digital space and vinyl records are the perfect solution. Whether it’s having something to be able to talk with your parents or grandparents about or the beauty in finding your new favourite song is actually from a random Kate Bush 12-inch from the 80s, that you got from your older relatives collection and found due to having to listen to the whole album.
“There’s something magical about the whole experience,” says Kieron Lee, from Flashback Records. “It’s not just about the music; it’s about the hunt. You can stumble across records you didn’t even know you wanted, make a day out of visiting shops, and leave with something unique.”
Think back to the time before streaming sites, when we would go into HMV and admire all of the CDs on the shelves. Who even does that anymore? Apparently not many people, with CD sales down 6.3 per cent year on year. But low and behold, the trusty vinyl has swooped in making sure that the physical act of actually going out to buy music hasn’t been totally lost.
After a slump in sales between the 1990s and the early 2000s (Recording Industry Association of America), the purchases of vinyl records have risen for the sixteenth consecutive year. For the first time since 1987, the year 2022 saw vinyl records outsell CDs in units (41 million vs 33 million). This rapidly growing market is increasingly driven by the under 25 demographic, who are seeking physical copies of their music and discovering vinyl for the first time.
“We’re seeing a real mix of generations—young and old, all coming in (to Flashback Records) for different reasons,” Lee explains. “It’s not just for the older generations dusting off their collections—it’s the younger crowd getting into it, too, and more women buying records as well. It’s brilliant to see such a mix of people enjoying vinyl”.
Last year’s vinyl record sales demonstrate that vinyl is “cementing its role as a fixture of the modern music marketplace,” RIAA Chairman and CEO Mitch Glazier said in a post on Medium.
For fans of vinyl there’s nothing better than the process of setting up a record player and playing an album. From selecting the album; to placing it on the record player and carefully putting needle to disk; to the crisp sound you only get from a vinyl record. The whole process of listening to a vinyl record is a unique musical experience.
Starting with the financial investment that is buying a record, which requires you to evaluate whether a record holds enough personal importance for you to spend your money on.
“Vinyl’s not just about music; it’s about connection and community so someone might buy a used record from 50 years ago along with a new release,” says Lee. “Whether it’s finding something they’ve been after for a long time, building a collection, or coming to an in-store event, it’s a hobby that’s as much about the journey as the destination. People who love music tend to gravitate towards each other and boundaries break down because of the love of music.”
And being a physical item, if looked after will last forever (or at least a long time) – unlike streaming sites, that have the capacity to delete songs, or even just disappear full stop, taking all your saved songs with them. Which happens! Take Babyxsosa, her song Talk got deleted off streaming sites and can only be found on random peoples accounts on YouTube with terrible quality.
So, all in all, the work undertaken to enjoy the music, assures the consumer’s attention is focused on the music itself and strengthens the connection between the listener and the album.
Album Appreciation
Another key attraction of vinyls is that with vinyls, you have to listen to the whole album, without being able to skip to your favourite or the most popular song, missing out on all underrated bangers that go unknown. The discussion surrounding the lack of non-skip albums (albums that you can listen to throughout without skipping) and ‘filler songs’ (songs that are added to an album just to reach a certain number) is massive in music. With many just picking songs from different albums, by different artists and adding them to a secondary playlist.
However, with vinyl records, unless you want to stand by the player, lifting up the needle and placing it on the exact ridge that starts the songs you want (not even bringing up the idea they might be on different sides!), you listen to the whole thing song by song. Allowing you to not only appreciate the musical production and lyricism, but also appreciate that the songs have been put in the specific order for a reason and so takes you on the journey that the artist intended.
“Younger fans, especially, are snapping up records by artists like Taylor Swift and Chappell Roan,” says Lee. “Limited edition coloured vinyls are huge, and there’s still a steady demand for used records across genres like rock, jazz, and funk.”
Where Has This Come From?
But what has created the kick back to vinyl?
Though they have been on the steady rise since the 2010s, like everything else, TikTok has had a huge impact in this revival. With TikTok trends like ‘going vinyl for vinyl’, where users sit down with their collections of vinyl records and show them one by one, in an effort to seem as if they have the best collection going viral. Hashtags such as ‘vinyl collection’ have been used over 447 thousand times, ‘vinyl’ over 2.0 million mentions and ‘record collection’ nearly 186 thousand times.
“Social media’s a big part of it,” explains Lee. “Platforms like TikTok are bringing old-school music and aesthetics back into the spotlight. For example, 60s and 70s rock is trending again, and genres like shoe-gaze are finding new fans.”
Vinyl’s resurgence proves that some things are timeless. Whether it’s the nostalgia, the community, or the simple joy of dropping the needle on a favourite album, vinyl has carved out its place in the modern music landscape. And if history tells us anything, it’s that the best things never truly disappear – they just wait for their moment to spin again.