Vinyl Stats and Usage Trends

Vinyl Stats and Usage Trends
Are They Going Up?

A decade ago, vinyl was written off as a relic — a dusty format for collectors and DJs. Today, it’s on display at Target, sold at concerts, and pressed in limited editions with color variants, obi strips, and gatefold artwork. It's also expensive, so clearly there's a market and interest in the format.

So what happened?
And more importantly: who's buying vinyl now, and are they listening to it?

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Let’s start with hard data.

• In 2023, vinyl outsold CDs in the U.S. for the first time since 1987 — a milestone that sent shockwaves through the industry.
• Vinyl revenue in the U.S. has seen double-digit growth year-over-year since the early 2010s.
• Over 43 million vinyl records were sold in 2023, compared to about 33 million CDs.
• Vinyl now makes up nearly two-thirds of all physical music revenue.

These aren't flukes. This is a sustained, upward trend.

Who’s Driving the Vinyl Boom?

The vinyl audience is surprisingly diverse:

• Younger listeners (18–34): Many Gen Z and Millennial listeners are buying vinyl not because they grew up with it — but because they didn’t. It feels fresh, novel, even romantic.
• Collectors: People who want the limited edition, signed pressing, or rare reissue.
• Audiophiles: Listeners who appreciate analog warmth, dynamic range, and full-album listening.
• Nostalgics: Older fans reconnecting with their past or rebuilding their old libraries.
• Casuals and decorators: Yes, some people buy records to hang them up or display them, even if they don’t own a turntable. But that still contributes to demand.

Are They Listening?

Here's where it gets interesting:

• Surveys show a significant portion of vinyl buyers don’t own turntables — or if they do, they don’t use them regularly.
• Many artists include download codes or streamable links with their vinyl, knowing fans might own the record but listen digitally.
• For some, vinyl is about tactile connection, ownership, and fandom — even if the needle never drops.

So yes — people are listening. But others are buying vinyl more like merch, souvenirs, or art objects.

What Are They Buying?

Top-selling vinyl tends to fall into three categories:

1. Classic rock & legacy acts (The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd)
2. Modern pop with strong fanbases (Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Harry Styles)
3. Indie & experimental artists with loyal vinyl culture (Radiohead, Phoebe Bridgers, Sufjan Stevens)
4. Rap and R&B
5. Innovative printing technologies that place cover art directly on the vinyl itself or other unique visual and tactile features.

Limited editions, colored pressings, and Record Store Day exclusives drive collector interest.

Vinyl’s Real Strength: Ritual and Respect

Streaming is frictionless. Vinyl is intentional.

You take the record out. You place it on the turntable. You drop the needle. You sit — and listen. No shuffling. No skipping. No algorithm suggesting your next mood. Just sound, space, and silence between tracks.

It’s not better — it’s different. It’s alive.

Final Thought: Vinyl Isn’t Just Back. It’s Reclaimed.

The vinyl resurgence isn’t a fad — it’s a rebalance. A reassertion of the value of music as an object, not just a stream.

Will it ever replace digital? No. It’s not meant to.

But in a world of noise, vinyl gives us quiet.
In a world of feeds, it gives us focus.

And that, maybe, is why it keeps spinning.