Martha Davies

There is a resurgence of vinyl sales.. But what is it that is attracting thousands of people to fork out for a vinyl album? 

Vinyl is a massive part of the music industry, pulling in millions of dollars yearly according to RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and this number is only blossoming with the thousands of new artists breaking into the music industry yearly. So why is vinyl making a comeback in recent years when we have access to a plethora of music artists and albums at the touch of a button? 

The work of singers with Gen-Z and millennial fan bases have dominated vinyl sales throughout 2022 and 2023, including Taylor Swift, Harry Styles and Arctic Monkeys. By releasing five colour variants of her record-breaking album ‘Midnights’, Taylor Swift achieved the best-selling album of 2022 with 61,948 UK vinyl sales in its first week alone. Swift has successfully harnessed consumerism to bring about the vinyl renaissance. Global vinyl sales overtook CD sales for the first time since 1987.  

Taylor Swift has been a driving force in the vinyl renaissance, with her dedicated fan base and impressive marketing strategy. The highly successful and critically acclaimed Eras Tour is notorious for the difficulty that millions of fans had to get their hands on tickets. Swift profited massively from her widespread success by saying that anyone who pre-ordered her album ‘Midnights’, would be eligible for a pre-sale code to her tour. 

Many argue that part of a vinyl’s appeal is that it gives a physical copy of a piece of art and is a tangible connection to an album and an artist. Records feature larger cover art than CDs and digital downloads can offer, and many can even have inserts and posters included in the vinyl sleeve. This makes the packaging a highly desirable aspect for many, from the reversible vinyl sleeve of Elvis Costello’s ‘Armed Forces’ to the pressing of the Friday the 13th soundtrack with a sleeve of fake blood. The quality of sound can also be an appeal. 

Speaking to Chris from Needle Point Records, he explained: “the experience of listening to an album is completely lost on a CD or digital download,” as a result of the smaller size and the more superficial feel of listening to music on websites such as Spotify and Apple Music. It is a whimsically beautiful adventure to listen to music entirely separate from technology and the experience itself can form a connection to the music entirely unlike what you can get from digitally streaming. 

Records can also be appreciated more aesthetically for their vintage appeal. The resurgence of vintage styles in everyday fashion and home decoration is mirrored in people’s listening habits. Buying cheaper records secondhand has also exposed people to older bands and artists and allows them to embrace this lifestyle in a more sustainable and affordable way. 

However, records are expensive to produce, especially for smaller and less popular artists. Is it cost effective?  

Ethel Cain’s critically acclaimed 2022 album, ‘Preacher’s Daughter’ has yet to produce a record or CD as a result of the cost that ensues. On average, it costs around £1000 to £3000 to produce one hundred vinyl without factoring in the different colour variants and patterns. 

Records expose people to the work of artists who have yet to break into more mainstream media or to the magic of older and forgotten tunes. Vinyl expert and seller Mark Gale has claimed that: “the vinyl renaissance has led to more young people looking to explore the artists who inspired previous generations such as The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Sex Pistols, Joy Division and The Smiths.” 

While vinyl resurgence has been driven by young people, the generations that were around when the record dropped for the first time can now collect the same album with different pressings and remastered sound, allowing them to relive the soundtrack of their youth. 

Maybe the recent resurgence is not just dependent on the need to support the biggest artists in the world, but also on the appeal of living without dependence on technology.