Vinyl records are making a comeback and their sales are increasing. Liveformusic.com says, “For the first time since the 1980s, vinyl record sales have overtaken CDs in the U.S., growing by 3.6% from the first half of 2019 to the first half of 2020, according to the Recording Industry Association of American (RIAA).” More people would rather sit down and listen to a vinyl record and enjoy the older way of listening to music.

Even though this is a more digital age, the vinyl album sales have grown for the 14th consecutive year. Statista.com notes, “According to Nielsen’s 2019 Year-End Music report, LPs accounted for 17 percent of album sales in the United States, which is quite substantial.” Vinyl records that were nearly extinct, can still make a comeback and rise in popularity again.

Vinyl records as well as CDs were replaced with streaming services and digital downloads. Since listening to music digitally is easier, people forgot about vinyl records. However, lately there has been a decrease in several platforms that people listen to music on. Digital music platforms have not been as popular. “Conversely, digital downloads, such as a single, album, and even ringtones, fell a whopping 22.2%,” according to liveformusic.com. Music listeners still enjoy listening to their favorite songs digitally, but have started to listen to record players more during quarantine. 

Sales of CD’s have also decreased due to the increase of vinyl record sales. CD sales dropped by 47.6% in revenues throughout the first half of 2020, whereas vinyl record sales increased by 3.6%, making up 62% of all the physical sales which is also $232 million. This year is the first year in over a generation to since record or physical vinyl records have surpassed CD sales. 

Vinyl records first started to increase when 802,000 units were sold for the first of three RSD’s during Christmas shopping and ending on April 18, 2019. The most popular vinyl records sold were Billie Eilish’s Live at Third Man Records, which generated 13,000 units. Other vinyls including David Bowie’s ChangesNowBowie, Metallica’s S&M 2, and Gorillaz’s D-Sides and G-Sides fell in the top ten, having 9,000 copies sold each. If RSD sells two more the vinyl record period is successful. 

During COVID-19 quarantine periods, there has been an increase in vinyl record sales. “Furthermore, even though COVID-19 seems to have a bigger impact in Q2 compared to Q1, recent numbers from Billboard signal a rebound, as U.S. vinyl sales recorded the biggest seven-day stretch of the year in the week ending on September 3rd,” liveformusic.com notes. People have started listening to these records during quarantine more because they want to embrace a classic way of listening to music. Records can also have a better quality sound and more Americans are starting to appreciate the sound and process of listening to records. 

There are a few ways to listen to vinyl records. Turntables and speakers are the more original way to listen to the music of vinyl records. Digital has also been incorporated into vinyl records. You can digitize vinyl record albums into a computer and make the songs portable with other devices. This makes it easier to listen to the record music without setting up and playing the record. There are also bluetooth turntables that play the vinyl record and can be bought on websites like crutchfield.com, amazon, and belt drive. Bluetooth turntables for vinyls is a modern way to listen to the records. Techradar.com says, “Many of these devices also come with modern features, such as Bluetooth connectivity and USB ports. This brings an added bonus of allowing you to listen to your vinyls wherever you are.”

These vinyl records have increased their sales because people enjoy the process of listening to music on records. According to themanual.com, “In every store we go into we hear it, and we’re consuming more music than ever before, but not in the same way. The ability to stop and sit and listen to an album from beginning to end, that’s something that always has been and always will be relevant,” says Scott Hagen, CEO of Victola. 

A Saugus freshman, Natalia Diaz, states, “I think that downloading music is better because you can listen to it anywhere instead of having to bring a record player everywhere. It is also cheaper to download it then to buy a vinyl.” Most people who own vinyls recommend buying records of songs you would listen to often, to avoid spending too much money. Vinyl records are a different and interesting way of listening to music however, downloading songs can be more convenient. 

People have also enjoyed traveling back to a different era by listening to music on vinyl records. “I think it’s natural for any generation to think that the technology of their time will be replaced by future technology and go extinct. There is something romantic about records, something satisfying about opening the album jacket, seeing the fantastic artwork and studying the linear notes while listening to the album. That’s something that today’s digital files just can’t replace,” Charlie Randall, CEO of Mclntosh Labs says, according to themanual.com. 

Another 9th grader at Saugus, Sabina Spurgin, says, “Vinyl records can be more expensive and require a record player.” Records can be a popular choice to people who are more interested and used to listening to vinyls, but it isn’t as easy to listen to music through vinyls. 

People are becoming more interested in vinyl records which explains the popularity of these records. Vinyl record listeners can travel back in time and remember the process of  listening to their favorite music through vinyl records.