Vinyl record sales surpass CDs for first time in 35 years

Vinyl records are now immensely popular and for the first time in more than three decades, have surpassed the sale of CDs.

For Ottawa vinyl collector Chris Osler, the needle dropping and the speaker crackling are a prelude to an acoustic journey he calls one-of-a-kind.

"I sit down and listen to the full record at one sitting," he said. "If you're reading a novel you wouldn't just read one chapter and then move onto another book. I want to experience the full thing and be a bit more focused in the listening experience."

Osler has been collecting and appreciating vinyl records for decades. Currently he's on the hunt for new pressings of old jazz.

And in a world where millions of digital songs are at your fingertips, thumbing through albums, in a shop in person feels far less programmed. 

"For me, there is something really obsessive about looking for the vinyl copies of the music I like," says Osler. "The tactile nature of records is awesome and the artwork is, of course great."

Demand for vinyl has soared and according to Recording Industry Association of America, in 2022, records beat out CD sales, a first since 1987. 

"Here we are in 2023 and it's really zooming," says John Thompson, owner of The Record Centre in Hintonburg. "From going out and looking for it, and then most importantly, owning it, when you get home, you clean it and you take care of it…it's almost like having a pet."

Thompson says the boon in business is obvious by the number of new customers walking through his doors in search of both new and used records. 

"A record can last forever if you take care of it," he said. "And you can still buy a $5 used record and get as much satisfaction from it as a very expensive one." 

Music industry expert Eric Alper says part of the resurgence of vinyl records is driven by a younger generation of both artists and their fans who can physically show their support. 

"They are anywhere from $40 to $70 for a new release and you are certainly getting value. Artists are putting in posters, they're making different songs that are only available exclusively on vinyl in a record store," Alper said.

"Taylor Swift's album Midnights basically sold more copies than the Beatles and Fleetwood Mac put together."

Alper adds that although vinyl made up about $1.7B in sales last year, that pales in comparison to the some $13B of revenue from digital streaming services.

But it's still a watermark moment the music industry is excited about. 

"There is something really amazing about saving your money, going down to the record store, hoping that they have a copy of it, buying it, taking it home and wrapping the plastic putting it on and listening to it."