In a digital world, most forms of physical media for music have all but died out — that is, except for vinyl. Join staff writer Callie Booth on her exploration into just what makes vinyl so everlasting almost a century after its invention and how the industry has adapted vinyl to keep up with the trends.

In the new age of digitisation, streaming, and Zoom meetings, one physical commodity saw significant sales increases in 2020: the vinyl record. According to Pitchfork, there was an almost 30 per cent increase in vinyl sales last year, while other forms of physical music platforms, such as CDs and cassette tapes, declined in sales. These record-setting vinyl sales statistics weren’t surprising, though, and help demonstrate how vinyl collecting is becoming more of an art form rather than a hobby. 

It’s not a coincidence that vinyl sales drastically increased last year in the midst of the pandemic. People were abruptly forced to move their lives online and were spending countless hours a day looking at screens. Vinyl records proved to provide an escape from the endless screen time. Records were in their heyday between the 1970s and 1990s, and owning a vinyl record reminds people of a simpler, pre-pandemic life when they didn’t need to rely on a computer to complete everyday tasks. 

Vinyl collecting witnessed a resurgence before 2020, with many retail stores beginning to have whole sections dedicated to records. However, a combination of social media and artists selling vinyl helped significantly expand the market in 2020. TikTok has become a major outlet for vinyl collectors to show off their collections, with many boasting collector’s editions and rare records. These vinyl-related videos have accumulated thousands of views on the platform, and could easily be contributing to an even greater resurgence of interest in vinyl collecting. Popular music on TikTok has also helped make certain records bestsellers. For example, “Dreams” from Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumors” went viral on the platform last year, and the album subsequently became the most popular vinyl record sold in 2020. 

Musicians themselves have also contributed to increasing sales and the rise of record collecting as an art form. Many new album and single releases from artists are not only available on digital and CD platforms but are also released on vinyl. One unique example of this new release pattern is Taylor Swift’s first release of 2020, “Folklore.” Early on, Swift announced that her album would be available on major streaming platforms with eight unique collectible editions available on vinyl. Each vinyl edition would feature different cover art, and each pressing of the vinyl would be a different colour from the standard black that most records are. These editions of “Folklore” sold out immediately and became collector’s items for vinyl collectors and Taylor Swift fans worldwide. 

Collecting different editions of the same album on vinyl is a popular way for collectors to grow their collections. Like Swift, many artists will release multiple editions of their albums that differ from the standard edition record, with some of the main differences being the colour of vinyl, cover art, or additional bonus songs. Some artists will release special anniversary editions of their albums on vinyl, such as Harry Styles’s one-year anniversary box set for his sophomore album, “Fine Line.” This collectible edition included the original album on vinyl along with 10 limited edition photo prints of Styles and a set of gloves akin to those seen on the album cover. Many vinyl collectors have several editions of their favourite albums, which makes special editions of popular albums especially rare.  

Another way vinyl collectors expand their collections is by purchasing vinyls that are out of pressing. These are albums that are no longer in production, which makes some of them incredibly rare. Less popular out-of-press records are cheap to get at many thrift stores and garage sales; however, others have become expensive and difficult to find. Two popular examples of this are One Direction’s “Made in the A.M.” and Frank Ocean’s “Blond” — released in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Due to their popularity, it is difficult to find these albums for sale close to their retail price. Both of the albums are commonly sold for around $150 on reselling sites such as eBay, which makes them inaccessible for casual vinyl collectors to add to their collections.  

Vinyl records can also come in different shapes and sizes, other than the standard 12-inch size for albums. There are three main sizes of vinyl: the 7-inch single, 10-inch single, and 12-inch. Different sizes of vinyl exist to maintain the sound quality of the songs on the record. The grooves on a record can’t be placed too close together, so larger sizes were developed to place more music on one vinyl piece.

Records also differ in their speed, which is measured in revolutions per minute. The three main speeds are 33 rpm, 45 rpm, and 78 rpm. The fastest speed, 78 rpm, was the first developed, but isn’t popularly used anymore because it moves so fast that it can cause damage to the record’s grooves. Both 7-inch and 10-inch singles typically use 45 rpm, while 12-inch vinyls tend to use 33 rpm. The switch to 45 rpm and 33 rpm has helped to drastically improve sound quality and allows records to last longer because they don’t wear out as quickly. 

In line with current trends, vinyls are expected to only increase in popularity over the next few years. Social media, artist sales, and a growing number of stores selling vinyl have been huge contributing factors in these trends. More music releases are becoming available on vinyl, and combined with collector’s editions and events like Record Store Day — an annual event that promotes local record stores — reaching new audiences, vinyl sales will continue to increase. Vinyl is changing the modern music industry and may become a permanent fixture in an increasingly digitised world of music.