Vinyl records have been in the presence of the world since the 1930s, and in high demand for collectors ever since.
The unique flat disk sparked joy in music lovers with a durable yet fragile surface and its warm and soothing echo of music. At first, many purchased vinyl’s for as little as twenty pence. However, once CDs had been introduced in the 1980s, vinyl records were no longer in the public interest.
Due to the advances in technology where music can now be accessed through online streaming platforms, the number of vinyl productions has lowered. Therefore, making the big round flat disk a one-of-a-kind collectible item.
Nonetheless, vinyl’s have not fallen out of trend completely as the year 2022 was without a doubt the best and biggest year for vinyl records. It has been found that for the first time in 35 years, vinyl’s have been making a grand comeback in the music industry sale and have even surpassed CDs in the sale numbers.
In 2022, vinyl’s hit a record of £116.9 million in sales compared to CDs with £98.3 million, which results in a 16% difference between the two.
When scrolling through social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, it was inevitably noticeable that more and more young people have started to post hauls of the vinyl’s they bought or are collecting.
It seems that despite living through a cost crisis era, the young generation started to show a growing interest in investing on vinyl’s despite the high prices. Especially those of their favourite modern-day artists.
According to the Official Charts Company reports, the best-selling vinyl in 2023 was Taylor Swift’s most anticipated tenth album ‘Midnights’, which successfully sold a total of 89,000 vinyl copies in 2022. Alongside the ‘Midnights’ album, Harry Styles’ ‘Harry’s House’ and Arctic Monkeys ‘The Car’ place second and third place for best-selling vinyl’s in 2023.
This opens up the door to questions like: Why are people showing an interest in vinyl’s all of a sudden again? And how are small local record businesses benefitting from this rise?
Located in Boscombe’s Royal Arcade is what I would like to consider one of Bournemouth’s hidden gems. The ‘Rose Red Records’ store may look small and simple from the outside, but once you walk in you will discover a double floored store filled with the sound of music.
From classics to pop, rock to rap, the store sells a variety of CD’s, cassettes, and vinyl’s with student-friendly prices. Chris Rose, the owner of ‘Rose Red Records’ welcomed me with the warmest and friendliest smile when visiting his store, and he was content to explore why these music record devices are making a comeback.
When asked if he was aware about the record sale of vinyl’s, he nodded and described it as an “overnight change.” Mr Rose added that at first his vinyl sales were quite slow for one year or two.
“We were probably more merchandise than anything else. And then people kind of gradually started coming in and asking more for it. And few found over the years that it’s grown and grown and it is our best-selling format now.”
He has also found recently that people are similarly becoming more appealed to cassettes.
Chris Rose continued to explain that the reason people are going back to “analogue formats” is because he thinks that: “Probably for people who perhaps didn’t grow up with vinyl’s, once they discover it, they realise how much more depth and warmth you get through playing a record.”
During our conversation, we what age groups Mr Rose sees more commonly approach his store and buy a vinyl.
He said: “It is across the board. I would say it starts maybe 16 to 18 years old and then upwards. We get quite a few older customers as well. It is difficult to pinpoint an exact range. It seems to be most ages.”
As he looks around the store at the customers, he added that there is no set pattern to it and that the pattern has found its own way over the years.
Chris Rose interestingly said that recently he has been getting more and more requests or questions from university students about modern-day artists’ music records. He would like to expand his range of music and bring in newer vinyl’s from artists like Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Harry Style, The 1975, and many others.
This slightly confirmed that the younger generation is beginning to show a growing interest in vinyl records and is re-establishing them back into the mainstream.
When asked if he prefers vinyl’s or CDs, Mr Rose instantly replied with excitement “Definitely a vinyl person!” He explained that initially he started with CDs but then progressed to vinyl’s which he described as weird because for most people it is the other way around that they start.
However he swiftly added that he does like to listen to both and that “both have got their merits.”
As Chris Rose picks up a CD and a vinyl, he compares the two flat disks and depicts the sound of each device. “CDs are cleaner and more clinical, but with a vinyl, you got that warmth of it. There are pros for both of them.”
After the conversation with Chris, I was eager to find out more and compare it from the perspective of an individual who likes to collect vinyl’s and is a music lover to see if the reasons are similar or if they differentiate.
Sarah Fermor is a 20-year-old customer I came across in the ‘Rose Red Records’ store. She said that it was her first time at the store after one of her friends recommended it to her. Sarah said she was enticed by the cheap prices in the sales section and thought that it was really sweet. She added: “You can tell that they have a massive love for music.”
Miss Fermor was also excited to find out that they have their own record player which you can use to listen to vinyl’s to decide if you like them before purchasing them. She thought that it was a unique and handy element of the store as “not all stores have that.”
As Sarah Fermor was looking through the vinyl records in the downstairs area of the store, she talked me through why she initially started collecting vinyl’s.
She said: “I collect vinyl’s because when my grandad passed away, my nan gave me his vinyl player and ever since then I started off by listening to his records and I love them, but it is not quite my style of music. I like them because it reminds me of him, but I have a different sense of music, so I started to slowly build up my collection. Just having more Soul, and Motown and House music.”
During our conversation, I asked Miss Fermor for her opinion on why she thinks that vinyl’s have grown more in sales. She expressed as she was walking up the stairs that “our generation is quite trendy” and that we are all going back to old fashion styles.
Sarah said that recently when going to rave events or festivals she noticed that the DJs “will mix vinyl’s rather than mix normally from just a playlist on their decks. You can really tell the difference in the music, and I think it is just really cool because music originated from playing on vinyl’s. It just feels more old-fashioned and authentic.”
As the discussion was ending, she added that people who buy vinyl’s are genuine fans of the artists who inspire them and who they want to support. With so many individuals trying to join the music industry, she feels that our generation understands how hard it is for them to make money.
Sarah Fermor said: “I want to support the artist by physically owning their music rather than streaming it.”
After reviewing my interactions with both Chris Rose and Sarah Fermor, it was clear that vinyl sales have made a comeback and that people in modern day society are starting to realise and appreciate the value of a vinyl as a collectable item.
It was interesting to see how distinct some of the answers and opinions of both individuals were. But despite being part of different generations, they both had one thing in common, and that is their preference of vinyl’s over CD’s.
This proves that the traditional form of music has not been completely lost and there are people nowadays who continue to appreciate the history and sound of vinyl records. It also highlights how the dissemination of music has been modernised to fit innovative technology, but the admiration for the roots of vinyl records still remains.
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