1 week Ago By [email protected] (Brian Webb)
Vinyl record sales are making a comeback, with store owners saying they haven't sold this many records since the 1980s. Sales are up 18 years in a row and correlates strongly with the start of music streaming. National Record Store Day is Saturday, April 12.
PHOENIX - Don’t look now, but record sales are soaring! You know the spinning vinyl discs your mom and dad, or maybe grandma and grandpa, used to listen to? Sales this year actually hit their highest levels since the mid 80s and Saturday, April 12 is National Record Store Day. The day when record companies release and re-release vinyl albums - everything from the Talking Heads to Taylor Swift. Once customers get inside, they see everything there is to offer and maybe a few things they missed.
What they're saying: It’s like back to the future. Old school albums are flying off the shelves. It’s like the 80s all over again.
"It will be more of a physical thing. The bigger artwork lyrics, the vinyl company colors freaks me out a lot to pick stuff up," said Clint who collects vinyls. CDs nearly killed record, but when streaming hit records started selling again.
By the numbers: Sales are up 18 years in a row, including $1.4 billion in sales this year, according to the Record Industry Association of America. It's the highest mark since 1984.
"It’s selling. It’s crazy how much it sells, how well it sells. From your generation, my generation, even to the kids that are younger, everyone buys it," said Katie Gregson of Zia Records in Tempe .
Dig deeper: Uncle Aldo’s Attic in Mesa started with mostly collectibles like games and toys. Then they quickly realized old records are the real hit. "In terms of the artwork that the physicality of the tactile sensation of having your hand, listening to it a little bit better.
It sounds better than CDs and digital stuff," said Desi Scarpone who works at Uncle Aldo’s Attic. And vintage vinyl isn’t only for old timers. Young people are playing them too.
"The little pin playing the music, like that’s so crazy to me," said Bella, another record collector. "I feel like everybody’s going back to the recorders and going back to the DVD, and going back to the little cameras. It’s all coming back around.
What you can do: Zia Records opens at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning.
You might want to get there early because the lines tend to get long. Information for this story was provided by the Record Industry Association of America and interviews with Zia Records, Uncle Aldo's Attic and vinyl shoppers at both stores..
