Vinyl lovers, retailers weigh in on vinyl resurgence

TOLEDO, Ohio. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, listening to music on a turntable has been the most popular since 1987.

A said the RIAA’s year-end report In 2022, more vinyl records were sold than CDs for the first time in 35 years.

There are several reasons for the resurgence: Growing interest in vinyl from Generation Z and millennials, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, have contributed to the resurgence, the RIAA said.

But it didn’t happen overnight.

Rob Kimple, Owner No noisy recordings on Monroe Street, said he has sold more vinyl than CDs in the past decade.

“For me, it’s all about the sound, but there are a lot of reasons why people like it,” Kimple said. “They like the hunt, they like the find, people do it together as a family, there’s a whole range of reasons to dive into it as far as the tactile, just the actual ownership.”

For vinyl enthusiast Ed Kaser, records allow music and art to connect. His collection numbers in the thousands and he can often be seen at Noise Records flipping through new and used builds.

“I think I’ve had a record player since I was six years old,” Kaser said. “It’s been a wonderful part of my life to be able to enjoy it and now share it with my kids who are starting to get interested in it.”

Kimple has been selling records and stereo systems for more than two decades and said vinyl’s resurgence is no surprise.

So why are more people dusting off these records?

Dr. Matthew Donahue, a professor of pop culture at Bowling Green State University, said more vinyl records are readily available and affordable.

“At the time, spinners were very expensive and very expensive. Now they’re much more accessible to the younger generation,” Donahue said.

While music streaming apps like Spotify and Apple Music are popular with younger generations because of their ease of use, they don’t compare to the sound quality of vinyl, said Noise Records’ Miles Jacob.

“When it comes down to it, it’s really the best dollar-for-dollar ratio compared to anything else if you have decent quality scrolling and clean records,” said Jacob, a vinyl enthusiast. “It’s going to give you better sound than anything else you could get on Spotify or Apple Music.”

For some, music is a connection, and now vinyl is the old way of hearing a new tune.

“Vinyl is really about nostalgia and something that listeners and music fans can really relate to,” Donahue said.