People are buying records again. But will the vinyl revival last?

(KTLA) — The kids thought they had it all figured out.

You could access all your saved music and millions of other songs on a phone or digital device for eternity (or at least until the platform shuts down).

It was so cool … until it wasn’t.

Welcome to the vinyl revival, as it’s being called, where even the youngest kids have decided their grandparents had it right all along.  

Good old-fashioned analog LPs are back big time. 

The Recording Industry of America says revenue from record sales climbed to $1.4 billion in 2023 and accounted for nearly 10% of all music format sales. In 2022, vinyl surpassed compact disc sales for the first time since Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven Is a Place on Earth” topped the charts in 1987. 

So why is vinyl back in style?

Maybe it’s artists like Taylor Swift and Beyonce fueling the resurgence with special vinyl releases. 

Maybe it’s that people want control over their own music without paying streaming platforms or paying per download.  

Maybe it’s that people want to hold and feel — and even smell — the albums they love so much.

There’s the collectability factor, too. There’s cash in that stack of vinyl. Digital downloads are intangible, mostly non-transferable and generally worthless.

Or maybe it’s all those factors.

The vinyl revival has spurred Record Store Day, held in April each year when people can find special deals at their local record store. Yes, those are coming back, too.

This year was the 17th annual Record Store Day and featured more than 380 releases, including music from Ernest Tubb, 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne, Elton John, Gorillaz, Kristin Hersh, Parliament, Pearl Jam, Sabrina Carpenter and The Who.    

As for Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” on vinyl, Target told Nexstar’s KTLA that their exclusive release with the artist was the “biggest music pre-order in Target’s history.” 

The big question is whether vinyl will continue to gain ground.  

Rich DeMuro, KTLA’s tech expert and host of the popular Rich on Tech is a believer.

“People love their phones, but many are realizing that we need a better digital life balance. Adopting some tech from the old days fills this need,” DeMuro says. “It’s simpler, easier and less connected than our phones, which bombard us with notifications and social media posts when we’re trying to do something simple, like play music. We’re easily distracted, and classic tech, like a record player, does one thing… And that’s it.”  

On whether he is joining the revival, DeMuro said: “I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a record player. I had one in my hotel room in Austin recently. It was super cool. They had a mini record library in the lobby and a Vinyl Ambassador who would help you pick out some great records based on your taste.”

“I was playing records all weekend,” he recalled, “and it was such a cool experience: from the tactile feel of the record to placing it down and putting the needle on it, to the nuances and richness of the sound … Very different than pressing ‘Play’ on Spotify.” 

Full disclosure: This writer is a vinyl fan. Peter Wilgoren worked at Record Town, Tape World and Coconuts (which eventually sold every format).