How vinyl has captured listeners during COVID-19
Despite the closure of many physical stores, 2020 has seen record sales increase by 4% in the US, while CDs are down 48%.
Vinyl records started to decline in popularity in the 70s as compact formats started to take over due to convenience. With cheap access to over 50 million songs available through streaming, this has lead CDs on a sharp decline, with vinyl seeing an increase in the past ten years. This shift in record sales has seen vinyl surpass CDs for the first time since the 80s.
Why is vinyl on the up all these years later? Music on vinyl is stored in analogue, this sound characteristic is unique and can’t be replicated by digital formats. There’s also a sense of nostalgia from the older generation, with many introducing their children to the format and passing down record collections. Physically owning music certainly has a different feel over the 1s and 0s stored in a playlist.
As lockdown orders came into place earlier this year, many music lovers stuck at home have delved into the world of vinyl. With many record stores opening their doors once more, some shops are seeing record breaking sales.
Ashonti Ford from Spectrum Bay News reported on a record store in Lakeland, Florida that has seen recent sales rise 30%.