V I N Y L LONG, LIVE

The Rise And Fall And Rise Of Records

From the era of Woodstock, The Beatles and flower power in the 60s to Saturday Night Fever, disco craze and bell-bottoms in the 70s, vinyl records were all the rage. But in the 80s when teased perms, leg warmers and CDs entered the scene, vinyl nearly went extinct.

As denim-on-denim and Doc Martens make a return, the saying “everything comes back in style” rings true and vinyl records are no exception — in fact, they’re making a remarkable resurgence.

According to the Record Industry Association of America’s annual report in 2020, revenue from vinyl sales surpassed CD sales in the U.S. for the first time since 1987. The trend continued this year when vinyl albums outsold CDs $41 million to $33 million, per RIAA’s 2022 annual report.

Numbers don’t lie and it’s clear vinyl has reclaimed its throne as the music industry’s most popular physical format. But with today’s digital music technology, which offers convenience and millions of songs at one’s fingertips, some are puzzled over this record revival.

Written by Skyler Heath

Pops and crackles — Record enthusiasts say the warmness and detail of playing a song on vinyl is incomparable to any other playback device.