6 Reasons Why Vinyl Records Are Making a Comeback in 2021
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The vinyl format has been resurfacing in the music industry for more than a decade now. In fact, US vinyl sales and global vinyl record market value have been doing great since the pandemic started.
In 2020, US vinyl sales grew by 28.7% year-over-year to $626 million, according to Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and the global vinyl record market reached $1.3 billion in 2020, according to Vinyl Record Format 2021 Report.
With all the hype the format has and is receiving, there has been a lot of offered services that surely helped numerous financially unstable musicians have their own albums on vinyl records.
Some of the best services offered by pressing plants to struggling artists are those short-run vinyl pressing and on-demand vinyl pressing. Moreover, some pressing plants offer discounts making vinyl pressing for indie musicians possible.
Now, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that vinyl sales continue to climb up in 2021.
Let’s discuss six of the many reasons why:
#1 VINYL RECORD IS CONSIDERED A PRIZED POSSESSION
We all know how the vinyl record format was at the top of the pinnacle of all audio formats in the 1940’s. At present, vinyl collectors, audiophiles, and disc jockeys or DJs consider vinyl records as some kind of prized possession.
This may be due to its rare occurrence which gives off the novelty and exclusivity vibe, though it has become more and more popularized today. There is an increasing number of musicians distributing their albums on vinyl records during gigs, concerts, shows, and music recordings.
Additionally, custom vinyl record pressing is expensive to have and vinyl records are expensive to buy. Though it’s very fortunate that pressing plants are offering short-run vinyl pressings, which is a great way to save money by not ordering too much.
#2 A CRUCIAL PART OF POP MUSIC HISTORY AND HERITAGE
The vinyl format is also an important piece of history and heritage in pop music. The first ever genre of music to be released on vinyl record was the contemporary classical.
Moreover, 12-inch vinyl records were mostly made for classical music which takes longer playback time than our usual music today. Because of this, there is an increased audience and demand in the contemporary music scene.
#3 TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS ARE INTEGRATED
It cannot be denied that the analog format is one that is susceptible to warping, dust, and scratches which lowers the record’s sound quality.
In addition, vinyl is a physical format that offers limited playback time, which depends on the size and speed of the record. These limitations helped product manufacturers create and invent technological advancements and integrate them into the audio format to tone down these limitations.
So now, we get records that are less warpy and just awesome.
#4 RECORDS ARE PRETTY
Aside from the technological advancements integrated by manufacturers, there are also ways integrated to help improve the visual appeal of the format.
In the past, these vinyl records were disc-shaped and black in color.
In the present, there are many ways to customize vinyl records. There are differently shaped records, colored vinyl records, and records that hold different things in it.
These custom vinyl records, however, cost more than the standard black ones, which somehow dissuades people from buying custom vinyl pressing. Short-run vinyl pressing is being offered by most pressing plants today, so that becomes less of a problem now.
#5 VINYL PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES BY CELEBS
Many pop artists like Beyonce and Harry Styles have been joining the bandwagon of releasing custom vinyl records and they’re really good-looking!
It’s easier than ever to make really creative vinyl releases where you can put inclusions, like exclusive photo books, cards and such…which of course makes fans go wild.
They release deluxe or limited editions of their newly released album and fans wait in line to get them.
This exclusivity brings curiosity to fans and regular folks alike, making them not only talk about it, but share stuff about it to their social media. Which will, of course, lead to more people getting curious.
#6 CUSTOMERS’ INCREASED SPENDING CAPABILITIES
The last reason is the increased spending capability of your customers or fans, probably because of the pandemic.
With the lockdown and the halt of many mundane activities, customers have had more money to spare than before. Plus, they just miss touching something like a vinyl record, instead of just staring at a screen.
Additionally, vinyl records have become cheaper, so more people actually purchase them. This has something to do with the technological advancements in vinyl record pressing that lessens the cost of production and its materials.
It has been a while since the vinyl record has really come back to the music scene.
Though digital music downloads and streaming platforms are the norm in this digital era we are in, vinyl records have come to save us from all the limitations given by these two.
Viva forever, vinyl!