What’s Hot in Vinyl?

A beloved chapter in music history is making a comeback in northern Michigan

Humanity’s technological advancements are such that when something new comes along, the old is often relegated to the far back corner of the closet or junk drawer (looking at you, VHS tapes).

However, there are exceptions to this rule, because new doesn’t always mean better. Sometimes, a piece of technology can become ingrained in the cultural ethos and develop a dedicated fan base long after “new and improved” options emerge, as has been the case with vinyl records.

Vinyl Goes Viral

There’s no questioning it: Vinyl is making a comeback, despite sales falling off a cliff in the 1990s and 2000s due to innovations like CDs, MP3 players, and smartphones.

At the height of their popularity, U.S. vinyl sales were at $2.5 billion per year in 1978, according to Camoin Associates, an economic development firm. Sales dropped to just over $10 million during the 1990s, but began climbing in the 2020s. In 2022, sales reached $1.2 billion, despite the almost endless (and more convenient) alternatives consumers have for listening to music.

In 2021, vinyl sales increased by 68 percent in terms of units sold compared to 2020, and by 55 percent in terms of revenue. In 2022, vinyl sales surpassed CDs for the first time since the 1980s. In 2023, 43 million vinyl units were sold, six million more units than CDs.

We checked in with local record shop owners, and everyone we spoke to said nostalgia has had a lot to do with the vinyl resurgence, but that it was only part of the story.

“It’s an even split between younger and older folks,” says Michael Grigg of Hexagon Records in Petoskey, referring to the older, loyal fanbases who he thinks are in it for the nostalgia and the younger customers who grew up with MP3 audio but now want something different. “I’ve been pretty amazed and inspired by the amount of young people interested in vinyl.”

Vinyl record sales began to turn around during the pandemic, leaving some to theorize the resurgence in the media format was due in part to music lovers having a need for new hobbies in order to stay occupied during lockdowns and quarantines.

It appears that particular hobby is expanding across age demographics. “We have teenagers just getting into vinyl come in regularly that aren’t old enough to drive so they’re being dropped off by their parents,” says Alex Walton of RPM Records in Traverse City.

“That’s one of the coolest things about an actual record store,” Walton adds, referencing the camaraderie of vinyl enthusiasts and the collectibility of the records. “It’s a place where customers, no matter their age difference, come together over their love of music and will spend an hour or two or more searching around for some new vinyl, and most of the time they’ll end up chatting with each other about different albums or bands and they’ll find something they didn’t know they were going to be into.”

Last, and perhaps most importantly, there’s the aesthetics of vinyl. No one denies it; the music sounds different when it’s coming from a carefully pressed, grooved, circular disc of polyvinyl chloride rotating at 33 1/3, 45, or 78 revolutions per minute, depending on the record.

“RPM officially opened back in 2010, which was before vinyl started to make a comeback, so the first years of being open differed from the present,” Walton says. “Now that people have caught on to not only the sound quality of vinyl vs. digital, but also the camaraderie or purpose of music, which I feel is to play it out loud and enjoy it with your family and friends instead of sticking in headphones by yourself, we have seen a huge increase in people buying turntables, vintage stereos, and records.”

What People are Listening To

We suspected that, despite an infinite number of music options to choose from, a few albums would enjoy ubiquitous popularity; Rumours by Fleetwood Mac being one of them. Brian Chamberlain, of Eugene’s Record Co-op in Traverse City, confirmed our suspicion. “You are definitely correct about Rumours,” Chamberlain laughs.

“It’s one essential album that we need to have in the store at all times, if possible,” he says. “Other current bestsellers include Chappell Roan’s Midwest Princess, Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n' Sweet, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, and anything by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Kendrick Lamar, Steely Dan, and Prince.”

Promoting and selling a product as technologically obsolete as vinyl records might seem difficult, but the shop owners we spoke with said that simply leaning into the good vibes around the vinyl community is enough to sell out new shipments of records in just a few days. “With our specific shop, I think our ability to stay open is also due to the atmosphere and vibe that we put forth, in addition to the inventory,” says Chamberlain.

“People often compliment the look and decor of the store,” he adds. “I wanted to design a store that would transport folks to another time and place with our unique art, lighting, vintage electronics, and of course the incense. We also host live music, comedy shows, and dance parties at the shop, which also bring people in.”

The Future of Vinyl

Cultural interests, hobbies, shared pastimes—these are all fickle creatures, leaving us to wonder if the vinyl comeback is permanent, or if the industry’s sudden popularity is fleeting. Then there are economic factors to consider, ones that are well outside the control of record shop owners.

“I’d say that business is steady overall, but inflation and the recently unnecessarily imposed tariffs are definitely making a lot of the merchandise even more expensive,” Chamberlain tells us. “Vinyl is already pricey, so it’s unfortunate that our costs have continued to increase over the past few years, and we’re having to up the retail price for vinyl to survive. Business has still been good, but things are a little dicey with the current economy, but I’m hopeful we can make it to the other side.”

Broader economic concerns aside, as of now, vinyl feels like it’s here to stay. Walton of RPM Records and Grigg of Hexagon Records also report that business has been good, and they hope it continues.

“I post previews on my new arrivals on social media, and that brings business in,” Grigg says. “I have a shop sign up now, I’m selling a lot of used albums and some new ones, and business has been even better this year than last year.”

Walton seconds that sentiment with some additional, behind-the-curtain insight as to why he feels the resurgence is here to stay.

“With all of the great new music coming out, and most artists now totally bypassing CDs and releasing on digital download and vinyl, along with vinyl pressing plants either opening or opening back up and repressing classics, we now sell a ton of vinyl,” he says. “We get a big order in every Thursday and get it priced and into the racks for Friday morning, and a good majority of the order is gone by end of day Sunday.”

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