The Vinyl Reprise
For Christmas back in 2018, I was gifted my first record player. This was purely so I could play The Lumineers’ Cleopatra album which is (in my opinion) the best record to have ever been produced - and should be played in the right way.
I have spent too much on vinyl in my time, but I’ve had the opportunity to visit some great independent and second-hand stores across the country, growing my collection. From iconic vinyl stores in Cardiff’s markets and arcades, or running through London’s high street charity shop baskets, to picking up neglected classics from Devon’s antique, thrift and vintage barns, there’s something about discovering music in this way that never gets old.
Every year there has been an increase in vinyl sales in the UK, with Classic FM reporting a 3.2 million increase between 2016 and 2017 alone. Since then, we have seen monumental trends in the LP lovers’ movement, with vinyl records outselling CDs in both the UK and USA between 2019 and mid-2020 for the first time in around 40 years.
Following this, the latter half of 2020 has brought us some amazing figures. The Recording Industry Association of America revealed that LPs accounted for a huge $232.1 million of all music sales up to July 2020, with CDs falling an enormous distance behind at only $129.9 million worth of sales.
But what has caused this? Surely, the reminiscing element can’t be the case for the teenagers who are choosing to buy vinyl when they have more than likely never experienced this medium in their lifetimes before. Maybe it's the aesthetic that comes with the Instagramable sleeves and the glossy discs, especially with the parallel resurgence of 60s and 70s fashion thanks to icons such as Harry Styles, introducing a new generation to Stevie Nicks, Mick Jagger, Van Morrison and the likes.
It does seem to be teens and millennials that are leading the vinyl revival. After all, if we have music lovers for parents then surely, they already have every copy of their favourite records and therefore would not have too great an influence on the vinyl charts today. The only obstacle for younger generations to experience and regularly indulge in browsing vinyl stores perhaps is the cost of buying an LP, with some special or anniversary editions coming in at triple figures.
Is vinyl worth the extra cost for the aesthetic? I would argue that yes, it is, because they are just so truly special to those who see them as little musical treasures. If you’re going to be purchasing physical copies of albums now-a-days then why not go for an LP (especially if they’re special edition, coloured vinyl’s or a picture disk) and their stunning sleeves over a plastic CD case that sit unremarkably and bulkily on your shelves?
The only time I ever buy a CD now is if it's an album that I really love and want to have as a collectible - which is a huge contrast to what my music consumption habits looked like 10 years ago. Of course, this is not just because vinyl is the physical copy that I prefer now-a-days, but also because CDs have become rather unnecessary in our generation’s music routines. Trip in the car? “Plug the aux in!”. Quick bop in the shower? A portable mobile phone with a Spotify account will sit on the side whilst you have your sudsy sing-a-long. The bulky CD player just doesn’t seem to be the practical option anymore in our streamlined preferences.
It's not only the rise in vinyl record sales that has contributed to the death of the CD, I don’t think. The accessibility of having any tracks you could dream of on such a diverse range of streaming services for such a small monthly price also makes the most mundane form of physical media redundant.
Even cassettes are back on the rise now, with new music releases from pop artists such as Maisie Peters and McFly having new music available on cassettes from the same time that they’re released on digital platforms - 2020s latest collectible trend for music lovers and nostalgic fans. The novelty of a cassette is undeniably entertaining, especially the novelty of teaching the art of rewind tapes to the younger Gen-Zs that come behind us.
Though the vinyl revival started almost as a fashionable trend in 2017-2018, some of us are still embracing the luxury of being able to purchase beloved albums in this medium whilst they’re still in every store front. No matter how much you loved vinyl before this craze hit, you would be lucky to find such selection on the high street back then - a new novelty that I will never tire of and hope never fades away again.
Written by Caitlin Parr
Hey, I’m Caitlin! I’m a student at Cardiff University about to embark on an MA in Journalism, Media and Communications. I work a lot in advocating for better mental health and sex ed provisions in the student community and also in media and communications for a variety of welfare, youth education and international development organisations outside of Uni.