Every day we’re bombarded with new reports showing vinyl is going from strength to strength.
Whether it is the numbers being reported in the Office of National Statistics’ (ONS) latest Basket of Goods report (which tracks people’s spending habits) or the latest chart topping record from Taylor Swift , we know more people are buying vinyl.
Eager to get an inside look at how the revival is playing out at a local level, I interviewed three big-name independent record store owners to find out which albums, EPs and singles are actually selling right now.
The answer isn’t as cut and dry as I expected
Drift Records manager Rupert Morrison tells What Hi-Fi?, that while modern artists’ interest in releasing music on vinyl is great, it hasn’t led to a spike in independent store sales the way most people expect.
"I am sure if you look at the total market, artists like Taylor Swift will resonate more with a younger audience, and with all the various formats that got rolled out across the most recent releases, unit-wise the sales are high so the figures are a bit warped,” he says.
“I think also the part of direct to consumer (D2C) isn't really clearly articulated in the 'vinyl revival' articles. If you had honest statistics about how many units of [Swift's] The Tortured Poets Department , for example, were sold via retailers compared to via D2C, you'd be surprised at how small the percentage is.”
He added that many younger buyers targeting the biggest releases in the charts are mainly interested in the artist they are buying more than the format.
“I think that younger audiences are driven by real genuine fandom, but whether they are becoming multi-campaign / release / artist purchasing customers is very much up for debate,” he said.
“So many of the titles that sell in huge quantities will be an exclusive, in one way or another, so scrabbling to the artist website or novelty pressings like Blood Records are the only route to purchase.”
But young people are buying vinyl
Flashback Records owner Mark Burgess tells us that, despite big artists' direct release strategies, younger acts are still a driving force for sales.
“It is actually remarkable how much vinyl sales are now being driven by contemporary artists selling to a younger demographic," he says.
"I think the new generation has grown up with streaming and downloads and these are now very commonplace, even boring. The vinyl experience is a way to reinvent music for this generation as something that is tactile and visually enticing, collectable and very current.”
He added that fandom is a factor, but this is good for sales of older music as well.
“Alongside the perennial Fleetwood Mac's Rumours and Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, Charli XCX was huge last summer, Taylor Swift is getting to the absolute top level, and artists like Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter are selling really well on vinyl,” he says.
It's about more than music
12 Bar Music and Social founder Sam Tame agrees that physical ownership of an album is of growing appeal to younger audiences, but adds that it is also becoming a culture statement to own vinyl.
“While there’s undoubtedly an element of nostalgia, it’s also about younger generations seeking something more meaningful in a world full of instant, disposable content. Vinyl offers a richer, more immersive experience – the tactile act of handling the records, the larger artwork, and the ritual of playing an album make it feel more personal,” he tells What Hi-Fi?.
"With more artists and labels embracing vinyl, it's no longer just about the music; it’s become a cultural statement. The sound quality, collectability and deeper, tangible connection to music all contribute to vinyl’s growing appeal. It's not just a format – it’s an experience."
He flags older music fans as another important factor helping enable young people to get into vinyl, albeit with albums’ high price tags an ongoing roadblock for many.
“One of our favourite moments came on our launch day, when a 13-year-old girl came in with her grandparents. They treated her to over £100 worth of records, including albums by The Smiths and Arctic Monkeys. It was a heartwarming reminder of how vinyl connects generations,” he says.
Drift’s Morrison agrees, telling us that he can see the high price of vinyl, coupled with younger audiences’ desire to own music, rather than stream, could potentially lead to a surge in popularity for another key format.
“I can't see how any of them can afford to buy records to be totally honest. Charli’s Brat was pushing £50, I just can't see many young folks having fifty quid to spend on one record. Certainly not regularly,” he muses.
“A good friend runs a big shop and has found that her younger audience are buying CDs, so it would suggest that the interest in physical music is there, but the price is a blocker.”
The record store owners are just one of many groups keeping an eye on a potential CD resurgence.
Despite the format war starting decades ago, the debate about which is better continues to rage among What Hi-Fi? readers – who most recently butted heads discussing the topic in our February Ask the Reader column where we asked: “Is hi-fi getting better?”
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