CHICAGO (NewsNation) — Some call it a comeback, some say they’ve never left, but vinyl records are spinning their way into the future.
The resurgence is symbolized by National Record Store Day, which will be celebrated on Saturday, April 22. The day started in 2007. It’s held on one Saturday every April and every Black Friday in November to “celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store,” according to daysoftheyear.com.
“Records have been on their way back for about 15 to 17 years now. It’s been a slow climb and actually a very rapid climb in the last 10 years,” said Doug Stapp, owner of Ralph’s Records.
Vinyl records are flying off the shelves, with 41 million sold last year, beating CD sales in the U.S. for the first time since 1987, and account for more than 70% of all “physical” music revenue.
“It’s bigger — you can actually listen to it, you don’t have to lease it on your phone, you actually own something,” Stapp said. “You can stare at all of the artwork you get to read all the liner notes, all the fun stuff that goes along with music, which is very important to music.”
Vinyl lovers have said it’s the nostalgia, the memorabilia, the sound in the room, and it’s the younger generation that is buying them, most are under the age of 35 — gen-Z’s and millennials are 25% more likely to have bought a record album in the last year.
“Honestly, I’m old so I love records. I think records lead to sound way better than music on the phone, music on a CD,” said Emanuel Lucero, a vinyl record enthusiast. “Then, I have a whole collection at home. I do listen to both, but I prefer the record over anything, especially whenever I’m home, just put a record on.”