Walk into any record store today, and you'll find something unexpected: the customers are young. Despite—or perhaps because of—growing up with unlimited streaming, Gen Z has fallen in love with vinyl records.
The Numbers Don't Lie
Vinyl sales have grown for 17 consecutive years, reaching $1.2 billion in 2023. More remarkably, buyers under 25 now represent the largest demographic of record purchasers, overtaking baby boomers for the first time.
"There's something real about holding an album in your hands," explains college student Jamie Wilson. "Streaming is convenient, but this is an experience."
Beyond Nostalgia
For older generations, vinyl represents nostalgia. But for young buyers who never knew records the first time around, it's something entirely different—a discovery of something authentic in a digital world.
"These kids aren't buying vinyl because they remember it. They're buying it because it offers something streaming can't: intention and ritual," says music industry analyst Robert Katz.
The process of selecting a record, carefully placing the needle, and listening to a full album from start to finish represents a different relationship with music than shuffling through endless playlists.
Artists Take Notice
Musicians have embraced the vinyl resurgence. Limited edition pressings, colored vinyl variants, and elaborately designed packaging have become essential parts of album releases. Taylor Swift's vinyl releases routinely sell out within hours.
For independent artists, vinyl offers something else: a sustainable income stream in an era of fraction-of-a-cent streaming royalties.
The Ritual of Listening
Perhaps the most significant aspect of vinyl's appeal is what it forces listeners to do: slow down. In a world of constant notifications and infinite scroll, the act of dedicating 45 minutes to listening to an album is almost radical.
As one young collector put it: "When I put on a record, that's what I'm doing. I'm not checking my phone. I'm just listening. It's the closest thing I have to meditation."
