Vinyl Records Making Big Comeback In Music Market

Dust off your parents’ record collection, because vinyl is making a big comeback. Music fans are once again spinning records- in record numbers.

Jazz saxophonist Mike Cohen says for him, there’s really only one right way to listen to music - on vinyl.

Cohen has been collecting records for decades. He says vinyl sounds much richer than digital music.

“This is what this band sounded like in the room, I mean, it’s as close as you’re going to get,” Cohen said.

Bulky records often sat on dusty shelves after the emergence of cassettes, CDs, and streaming. But now, music fans are rediscovering vinyl. 41 million records were sold last year, topping CDs for the first time since 1987.

“Formats have come and gone, but it’s really incredible that this century old format has come back so strongly,” said Joshua Friedlander, senior VP of Research & Economics for the Recording Industry Association of America, or RIAA.

Friedlander says more than half of today’s record buyers are younger than 45.

“Some people like the classic look and feel, the bigger artwork, the tactile nature,” Friedlander said.

Contemporary artists are taking notice, with vinyl releases from Taylor Swift and Adele topping recent charts. Mike Cohen says he’s glad people are hearing the difference.

“There’s a bigger appreciation for what’s on the actual record versus just being able to punch anything up digitally,” he said.

While records are once again the most popular physical media for music, streaming still makes up 84 percent of all music revenue.