In the age of downloading digital music and online streaming services, people are turning back to the nostalgia of vinyl records.
The Record Industry Association of America recently released new figures showing that vinyl sales trumped Spotify Free, YouTube and Vevo combined in the first half of the year in the US.
Sales for long play (LP) records were up by 52%.
At the start of this year Nielsen Soundscan, which began tracking vinyl sales since 1991, indicated that vinyl sales surpassed the 9 million mark for the first time in 20 years.
In South Africa, records have also been on high demand since 2012 with music stores selling record players next to iPods and artists releasing their albums on vinyls.
In 2014, the highest selling vinyl album was Jack White’s Lazaretto with 87 000 records sold.
It seems that in the internet age where music downloads are available at the click of a button, music lovers are enjoying the tangible feel of LP’s and the crackly, authentic sounds and taking a break from their digital lifestyles.
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