On a recent hot afternoon, Recycled Records off Kietzke Avenue was buzzing with activity. When you walk in the store, you’re immediately hit with the sounds of classic rock. People flowed in and out of the store looking to find that record.
Standing behind the counter, co-owner Eric Jacobson was flipping through a box of vinyl and CDs that just arrived.
Recycled Records has been a staple in town for music lovers since 1978, selling a mix of new and used vinyl.
Jacobson has been with the store since 1986 and became a co-owner 6 years ago. Over the years, he’s seen a lot of change with how music is sold – and who’s buying it.
Starting in the late ’80s, vinyl was out and CDs were in. And by the 2010s, all physical media was being replaced by streaming. But in recent years, Jacobson says vinyl has been selling the best it has in a long time – and a big part of it has been the younger folks stopping by.
“There’s just a ton of kids, a lot of teenagers, and a lot of people in their early 20s,” Jacobson said. “There are children that collect records that are 8, I mean, it's not even that uncommon; they come in with their parents and they’re all over the racks.”
The growth of vinyl sales has been steady for over 15 years now. In 2022, vinyl surpassed CDs for the first time since 1987, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
On this day, there were nearly a dozen young people flipping through the racks. Many were looking for the newer and popular stuff – Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and Lana Del Rey – but some were looking for heavy metal and jazz. Eighteen-year-old Zoe Castillo showed off some of the music she bought.
“I have Ella Fitzgerald and Korn,” Castillo said. “They’re two very different genres but they’re two of my favorite artists.”
Castillo owns vinyl, CDs, and cassette tapes. She says collecting physical media is just like collecting anything else, and she has a deep connection with the music she loves.
“It just has a different sound to it, no matter what you’re playing, whether it’s a CD or a record.” Castillo said. “It’s also something you have to cherish. It’s a deeper part of your love for music than you can get through your phone.”
Matt Bass, a vice president with the association, says a lot of Gen Z likes having their favorite music at their fingertips and the vintage feeling of owning music, but there’s more than just that.
“They really like the sound that comes from a vinyl album.” Bass said. “The high quality audio is something that we see across all different generations.”
He says big artists have also worked hard to sell their music in vinyl format by appealing to fans with the different options.
“Taylor Swift has done very well over the last year. Her and her label have done a great job of really prioritizing the vinyl release and making sure that fans really have an appetite for them and they give them different versions of albums in different art on the covers.”
But it’s not just young people buying physical media. Many customers at Recycled Records have been going to the store for decades. Erik Allen Kutyana has been stopping by since 1985. He comes in multiple times a week, always looking for anything new that comes in, but the resurgence in popularity of vinyl has also had its downside to the hobby.
“Now that it’s becoming popular again, it’s becoming harder to find stuff,” said Allen Kutyana. “When they get new stuff, it goes quickly, and that’s why I come in here a lot.”
Jacobson says when vinyl sales originally peaked in the mid 1980s, there was less variety including the color of the record itself. Today, you can buy your favorite album in different colored pressings or with alternative covers.
Bass says the COVID-19 pandemic sparked even more interest in vinyl. When people were isolated, they soon got bored and started looking for new hobbies.
“What happened during COVID is that people who hadn’t been purchasing vinyl and wanted to start a collection or were stuck at home might have been introduced to the format, and that created a new fan of the format,” Bass said.
As for vinyl’s future, it’s looking bright. It surpassed CD’s once again in 2023. With no slowdown in sight, owners of local record stores like Jacobson are hopeful they will continue to see a jump in customers.
KUNR’s Nick Stewart is a student at the Reynolds School of Journalism.
This story aired on KUNR FM on July 29, 2024.
