Luminate, an entertainment data gathering source, reported a 4.2% increase in vinyl record sales, the seventeenth consecutive increase in sales, and the largest sales volume since Luminate began tracking data in 1991. According to Luminate, Gen Z is 27 percent more likely to purchase vinyl records compared to the average listener.
This is no surprise to Stan Wojciechowski, owner of Spin Connection, the only independent record store in Waco.
“Based on comments, they just love the sound. [Gen Z] love[s] the sound of analog. A lot of the new [albums] are recorded digitally, but they like that more natural sound,” Wojciechowski said.
The increase of sales has prompted a holiday of sorts, now dubbed “Record Store Day.” The celebration allows artists from different genres and backgrounds to release special, limited edition pressings of their albums and singles, leading to a sharp increase of sales for independent record stores.
This year, the celebration fell on April 22, with the band The 1975 headlining the holiday. While the festivities have passed, collectors can still find some of this year’s special releases on the shelves of independent record stores like Spin Connection.