The Rising Popularity Of Vinyl Records
Despite their popularity in the 70s and 80s, vinyl records sales dwindled to near obscurity when CDs were invented. However, vinyl records have recently increased in popularity, even outselling CDs in 2022.
Vinyl record sales have continued to surge, increasing by 14% in 2023.
This rise in popularity is partly attributed to the release of multiple versions of vinyl records. These versions, also known as vinyl variants, are pressed in various colors and designs. The switch from the classic black vinyl to colorful designs helps appeal to younger audiences and further increase album sales.
A great example is Taylor Swift, who has begun to sell multiple vinyl variants for the same album. For her album Folklore, Swift released eight different vinyl variants with colors ranging from dark green to light grey.
Most recently, Swift has included exclusive songs on her vinyl records, further encouraging fans to buy and collect them. For her album The Tortured Poets Department, Swift released four vinyl variants, with each one containing an exclusive song. This strategy has proven to increase album sales, with Swift selling more than three million vinyl records just in 2023.
Multiple artists have followed Swift’s lead, including Charli XCX who released more than 20 variants for her album Brat. These variants are often exclusive to one retailer, with stores like Urban Outfitters and Target selling their own variants of vinyl records.
However, not all artists are on board with vinyl variants. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Billie Eilish criticized artists releasing multiple vinyl variants: “It’s very important to some artists to make all sorts of different vinyl and packaging … I can’t even express to you how wasteful it is.”
On top of the environmental concerns, many fans have expressed frustration with the increasing price of vinyl records. Consumers can expect to pay upwards of $30 for an average vinyl record, not to mention the cost of shipping. For reference—even though the album fits on one disk—the vinyl record for Sabrina Carpenter’s album Short n’ Sweet retails for $40 at Target.
The rising prices are partly due to issues with supply and demand as pressing plants struggle to keep up with the increasing popularity of vinyl records. Despite the rising prices, the shortage often leads to vinyl records quickly selling out—especially for mega-artists like Taylor Swift.
Despite those issues, vinyl continues to increase in popularity. Events like Record Store Day, where independent record stores sell limited edition pressings of vinyl records—encouraging fans to support small businesses. Last year’s Record Store Day included exclusive releases from artists like Olivia Rodrigo, Noah Khan, and The Beatles.
This year’s Record Store Day will take place on April 12th. Fans can look forward to releases from Gracie Abrams, Charli XCX, and more.
