1.3 - How Vinyl Records Made a Major Comeback

According to the RIAA’s sales statistics, record sales have been steadily increasing over the course of the last decade, even as streaming services have been on the rise. In 2019, over 19 million records were sold, a 14.6% increase from the year before. This proves that statistically speaking, records are not going anywhere. 

Since 2006, vinyl record sales have been on a steady yearly increase after dipping and fluctuating through the 90s and early 2000s. Vinyl saw this decline in the 90s and 2000s as CDs began to dominate the market. However, as streaming began to overrun the physical music market, CDs have largely gone extinct. Nevertheless, vinyl continues to prevail over other formats of physical music, continuing to retain its devoted following. 

The vinyl format has prevailed over time due in large part to the collectible nature of records and the enjoyable experience of putting on a physical copy of one of your favorite albums. Even as digital music has continued its rise, devoted fans of analog sound have stayed loyal, and vinyl has continued to pick up scores of committed listeners in the last decade.