Vinyl Record Sales Increase 11 Years Straight

If you are reading this blog post then you most likely aren't surprised by the title. Most vinyl record enthusiasts and collectors know that vinyl is hot - especially vintage vinyl.

According to Nielsen ratings, vinyl record sales are becoming a $1 Billion industry and sales have been increasing for 11 consecutive years.

"I did what most people did when digital became big - I abandoned my vinyl record and CD collection and moved to digital" said Ray Wilson one of the Dynamic Duo of High Fidelity Records. "I am regretting that move now because my record collection was in amazing condition and would be worth thousands today."

"It's the experience of not only listening to music that sounds better but holding the album in your hands and looking at the cover art. Oh and when the vinyl comes with bonus materials like band photographs and other perks - you can't get that with digital." Said Amber Wilson who is the other member of High Fidelity's Dynamic Duo.

In Britain last year (2016), vinyl record sales ($3.02 Million) surpassed digital sales ($2.6 Million) for week 48. This says a lot about the increasing popularity of vinyl records.

So why the resurgence? After all, just like the quote above, didn't most of us abandon these big delicate dinosaurs that we called "albums" for sleek MP3 players?

Some of it is the fact that we are chasing nostalgia but that's not the only reason. While it's true that recently analog products like books, board games and vinyl records are making a comeback, it's not accurate to state that it is for nostalgic reasons, after all, many people in their teens and twenty's were't consumers when the big switch to digital came about. No, there is more to it than nostalgia...

Today's consumers are looking to make a statement with their purchases and one of the reasons vintage vinyl records are gaining popularity is because they are a way of thumbing ones nose at our out of control consumerism and lust for the next electronic gadget. Resurrecting a vinyl record and a vintage turntable is a way of shopping with conscious and that's is very appealing to today's consumer.

Do they really sound better? Well many audiophiles believe that the answer is "hell yes!" But here's a great NPR article that breaks the whole thing down.

One thing is certain, vinyl records are incredibly popular and their groove doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon.

Happy spinning!