Vinyl Sales Are Down 33% in 2024??? Thoughts From A Record Store Owner

[@brutalmorality5885]

Sales are down because prices are WAY TOO HIGH.....

[@user-zx1ir7jt4c]

This...

[@BogoEN]

This.

[@blahblahblah6]

Particularly when CDs cost 1/3 to 1/4 as much.

[@celtic-audiophile]

This was an mistake, the real figure was 6% growth

[@bananagumboot87]

Simple

[@8BitLatinGamer]

What ticks me off is the prices are high and yet they lack on Quality Control. Many new records are warped and with scuffs right out of the shrink wrap. I know many people who no longer purchase vinyl records for this reason and prefer CDs instead.

[@BeatleRick84]

I had two albums The Beatles Blue Album Set which had the same insert with the lyrics of the same songs. Metallica’s Kill em All which had the same label on both sides which were side two and I was pissed. I had these sealed for over a year maybe. Can you retun this for being defective. I don’t know I haven’t looked into to it. I’m just thinking of just opening the albums as soon as I buy them. Just in case something’s wrong. Quality assurance cmon. People pay money for this and it cost money. Get it right please!

[@jailhouserockconfidential8620]

I have experienced this. I purchased an Elvis Presley releases at last years RSD and when I opened it the vinyl was horribly scratched in numerous places. I didn't think it would even be possible for a brand new record to be as in bad of that condition. That was a major label as well. I also bought another recored it was Cowboy Junkies Sharon Sessions vinyl and it was obviously a smaller label and I ordered it from their site. It was new and shrink-wrapped and when I opened it there was a big scuff on it. I grew up in the 1970's and bought almost all vinyl of course. In the 80's I started buying some cassettes but it was mostly vinyl my whole life up until I made the switch to cds in 1988. But in the around 2,000 albums I bought in the 70's and 80's I never saw any scuffs or scratches on a brand new album. Maybe a couple warped records but that's it. After getting back into vinyl I've purchased more flawed brand new vinyl records with scratches and warps, skips than I in all those years of buying records pre 1989. I've started choosing cds again for most of my new purchases.

[@ToddSauve]

That has _always_ been the problem with vinyl. That's why people ditched vinyl in the first place. So a new generation is learning the same lessons all over again. There is no durability with vinyl and it is technically inferior. Period. Keep using them if you like but that is just turning you into a Philistine. Every new generation has to learn the same hard lessons over again in many ways.

[@BeatleRick84]

@@ToddSauve I also noticed the vinyl from the 80’s that I have are really thin and cheap. They have to be 140 gram or less I don’t know.

[@mwilliams9568]

@@BeatleRick84 This happened to me with And Justice For All I hadn't opened it for 8 months and found 2 C/D records. I contacted AmazonUK through the phone app and explained I buy lots of records and don't open and play them staight away and they agreed to refund me. From now on I will be checking all records when I buy them. Cheers

[@mnm2007]

When i collected in the 70's and 80's it was a more working class hobby. It's been transformed into a expensive, elitists hobby.

[@TheAboriginal1]

Anything can be an expensive elitist hobby. Golf, cars, photography. Doesn't mean it has to be.

[@DanielSmith-r4z]

Exactly

[@timhayter7752]

It wasn’t a hobby in the 70s and 70s, it was the way everyone consumed music.

[@rockrecordreport7136]

@@timhayter7752 Serious collecting was a hobby and not the way everyone bought records.

[@TheHSIHP]

Aided and abetided by bandwagon stores like his

[@veteq101]

The prices are just insane. I just checked my discogs; I used to buy around 30-to-50 records per year until the price increase in 2023. in 2023 I bought a total of 14 records and this year I bought 3 records. I bought a better DAC and digital it is.

[@dunkkusaarinen]

Ive been buying CDs for the last two years, where I live CDs cost 18-20€ but vinyl record are between 30-45€

[@jacksonkeeler]

going from $15 to $35 for a new record in 10 years could be why

[@Stuntman_nh]

Gimme a break, literally everything has gone up. Blame government

[@analoguecity3454]

You can't keep the same price on things forever! Prices in the 80s 90s are not the same now!

[@dukenorman7311]

@@analoguecity3454 problem being, people aren't getting pay raises to reflect that. Vinyls getting the boot then!

[@jazzandcocktails7]

When CDs came out, they were about twice as expensive as vinyl. Now vinyl is triple the price of CD. Most people do not have analog playback systems that beat CD. At some point, when the novelty wears off, the Crosley owners will move on, and the market will shrink. As a long-term audiophile, what amazes me is the sheer number of quality turntable manufacturers in the market today. A lot of people have invested in analog, and they will continue to feed their habit.

[@konstantinov]

@@Stuntman_nh LOL it has nothing to do with "government." You must be a low-IQ Trump voter.

[@oiygfdxssfgg]

My record buying is down because I'm getting tired of getting defective records and then having to go through the trouble of returning it.

[@CookieCurls]

And they make it next to impossible to return in many cases.

[@chrisw9096]

Absolutely! It's pathetic.

[@thatusernameinuse]

yup, i never used to check the discogs release comments section but now I check almost every release before i buy it because there's so many comments about poor quality control from brand new releases/re-releases. Bunch of wishlist records im just waiting and hoping they repress higher quality versions of.

[@DonP-b9q]

Same with blu ray and 4k disks. Most come scratched brand new but the people pushing youtube videos don't want to talk about it.

[@davidbailey6350]

I have cut back on vinyl, for me I get more CDs than ever. And with my aging ears, they sound pretty damn good. Thanks for the video Mike.

[@analoguecity3454]

CDs are not proper hi-fi, you get what you pay for!

[@shrtal]

@@analoguecity3454don’t underestimate CDs. They carry few benefits that vinyl doesn’t deal well with. I personally appreciate the best in each of the mediums. Btw high resolution discs like SACDs and Blu ray Audios are formidable.

[@ronaldheussen2603]

So am I, still vinyl, but less. And the joy of lazyness of playing a cd :-D

[@Iainmaclennan70]

@@analoguecity3454 What a ridiculous statement.

[@ptg01]

@@analoguecity3454 It's very subjective... but one can not argue over the VALUE proposition of of CD vs Vinyl... My experience is for the price of one Vinyl LP, you can easily get 3 to 5 CD's... more in the secondary market.

[@JumbleTasteSpinning]

I went back to CD's again in last few years... sometimes i think to myself "do i really need this on vinyl or the cd should be enough?"... and most of the times cd's are great option. Enough with the new 50$ and up records... that's just crazy.

[@dunkkusaarinen]

Ive been buying my jazz on vinyl, other genres I usually go with the cd....

[@mikealexander7126]

Excellent video. My pet peeve: the era of multiple variants of a release needs to end.

[@awrogers3013]

I think we should just issue dark side infinitely. We don’t need anything else evidently

[@PanditMusic]

@@awrogers3013I agree. Let’s be done with that lol

[@rixvspinner]

@@PanditMusic I agree as well. The multiple variants just tie up the pressing plants manufacturing the one title.

[@photoslum]

@@rixvspinner Tie up the pressing plants? never heard that

[@AppleMan531]

If sales are off, my personal feelings as a collector, is the pricing is too high, there's too many reissues of the same thing being released over and over. I've been collecting since I was 6 years old. I'm now 62. I'm not a cheap guy. If a certain release comes out that's worth spending the money on, I will do it! I've managed record stores in my lifetime like Zig Zag Records in Brooklyn, NY, and Colony Records in NYC. I know a thing or two about the record industry, and it's certainly changed. I remember going to local department stores like Korvettes which had the best record department in all of New York, and their prices were great. This is why in the 70's and 80's certain titles sold millions! If you're going to charge us a lot for an album, then make it worth the money! I'm just being honest about this!

[@mr.jazzfusionhiphop1298]

Wow I remember Colony Records, my friend is a musician and we use come in all time for him to buy sheet music. You're correct about Korvettes and also Gimbels. I did shop at the Sam Goody down the block from Colony. Damm those were the days 😄

[@AppleMan531]

@@mr.jazzfusionhiphop1298 I was at Colony Records from 1987 to 2000 as a Night Manager, and also worked sometimes during the days on the weekend!

[@madteam3parents773]

Loved shopping for records in Korvettes!

[@davidtrahan3062]

Spot on 🎉and I am 63 and also retired from the music industry.…. It’s the same old song at dance. The record industry kills the golden golden goose again.😢

[@brutalmorality5885]

Yep, now you pay $60 for a doulbe LP with no inserts, posters, nothing extra. Then of course you have to choose what color variant you want also.

[@melsrecords-bq3di]

I own a small shop in Northern Massachusetts. We’ve been open for 3+ years and I can say that sales are definitely slower. We are down maybe 2-3 percent this year over last. First quarter of the year was great, second quarter okay, and third quarter we have seen a slowdown. We had good year over year growth first three years. Holding out hope that the Christmas shopping season comes to the rescue.

[@jeffreysobczynski7113]

I thinking pricing is certainly part of it - plus the impact of overall inflation (food, housing, etc.) Another thing is that a consumer (like myself) who started ramping up during Covid has likely bought too much for now (here I am speaking for myself). I need to “shop” my own collection and listen to what I already have. I will continue to buy, but likely at half the rate.

[@patmeadows4759]

Greetings Mike. Great vid (as usual) You always speak honestly and from the heart - much appreciated. I am a 'baby boomer' 1950. I was lucky enough to be a teenager and a young adult in (what I consider) the greatest music and hifi equipment era ever (stereo wars) . I was heavy into both buying and upgrading hifi gear and buying LP records. When co-workers would question my lust for buying LP records most every week, I would state "I am spending less or maybe equal to the average smoker spending on cigarettes" (in Canada eh where taxes were higher on cigarettes and alcohol - paying into our universal health care) The same analogy regarding daily drinkers in that era. I still have and enjoy my LP records (trimmed down over the years and caught up in the CD era of the day) but....and a big but, I still have and enjoy my LP records and the smokers and heavier than average drinkers have, on average probably have felt the daily effects of poorer health outcomes over time. Keep on keeping on!

[@Darkhorse88]

I went to my local store yesterday 10/26/24, and I was shocked to see new records for no less than $28. Box sets and special additions went for $40 to $100. It's getting harder to support local stores 😢

[@heavyheadsrecords]

Another take from another store owner - kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZ_Rg4pqf82Vb6M

[@robertbyington7715]

Mike appreciate your efforts and honesty and talking about the quiet stuff no one wants to say out loud

[@FrankJohnson-d6h]

I will buy fairly priced records that are in good shape. The problems I’ve encountered are stores that try to sell records at stupid prices that are in bad shape. I rarely buy new records and I no longer buy used records that I can’t inspect. I have a quality CD transport and DAC so I’m content to buy a CD if it’s one I want.

[@Markymarkvinylnut]

The cost of going to live gigs is crazy £80+. And the cost of EVERYTHING is nuts, eating out is insane. Vinyl will always have an emotional connection, just wish they were a little cheaper!

[@CliffTangredi]

As a fellow record store owner going on 9 years I appreciate this video Mike. Thanks 🙏

[@berniceringowilson3358]

Hello Mike I just recently learned about your store today from the audio store where I was getting my auto alarm fixed but I grew up in Detroit just relocated here and when I say the record store was what we all thrived and survived on because of the music we were really dancing in the street back then 😂😂 but I definitely plan on coming to your store very soon oh I still have many of my Albums from the 60's,70's, and more can't wait to come to your record store 🎉😊

[@masseysmaineentertainment]

You now have a market where everybody with grandpa's record collection thinks they are going to get rich. So they think their scratched up warped copy of Born to Run is worth $100. I have a local dealer who is not out to get rich but to share in the experience of music with his patrons and I give him my business. I have never paid more than 30 bucks for a new record at his shop and most are 12 to 15 bucks.

[@b-boybungus8165]

This is what I'm noticing too... People aren't collecting because they love the tunes; they are standing in line to get the latest color variant pressing, keeping it sealed in hopes of the price going up. Investing in collectibles is only worth it if you enjoy the thing and get all your value out of it. Speculators, greed, artificial scarcity, poor quality...

[@davel.9467]

I totally agree. I work at a shop in Michigan and we’re experiencing the same. I think pricing is a huge part of it. I’m seeing lots of people coming in to sell records they bought, and no longer need, while they were flush with federal stimulus check money. Times change.

[@EddieJazzFan]

I the 90s, I bought vinyl like crazy everywhere I could. The typical price was $1 or Less ! As much as a bought back then, I still wish I could go back in time and buy more.

[@markpocock183]

Thanks Mike, interesting perspective on the industry. Agree with many others that prices cut down on my purchases.

[@erictyrka7068]

I like Mike explaining the feeling of when you by a new vinyl record. I love to open the new album read the info inside, I goes as far as even smelling the vinyl. It is a great experience all the way around. As far as price, go to McDonalds and by a lunch for yourself where does that end up with price, and where does that end up going down the drain. My album is still there to play and enjoy over and over again and get that great feeling.

[@mattgregory971]

Great Video Mike. I buy Vinyl and CDs too. I have a very even collection. Plus the Dolby Atmos too.but I go to my record store 3 times a month. Nothing like buying physical copy.

[@robertbyington7715]

Mike you hit the nail on the head record collecting is a physical pleasure because it’s music history that gets passed down from one listener to another. It’s like reading a book turning the pages where on a kindle it’s just reading lol

[@KevvvDub]

I did a lot of shopping for used records in 2021-22, to the point where I have pretty much everything I wanted. I still buy new records, but I struggle to find anything I want from the RSD releases. I use that online store for new classical releases because local record stores shy away from that genre

[@djjoeykmusic]

Great video Thank you Michael Have a wonderful one

[@chrissnyder7181]

Hello. You basically summarized where i am with my vinyl buying. Im tired of the gimmicks too. The color variants are fine. But now i just pick 1 or 2 i like. Very informative video..

[@recordlounge]

I have owned my shop for 16 years now and I have to say after covid we were really doing well as we sell both new and used vinyl, Usually Fridays and Saturdays are our busy days . About 2 1/2 months ago our Fridays started slowing down so much so that last Friday was our worst ever. I know we dont need to stock new vinyl but our customers want it especially the younger ones just getting into it. What I used to pay at wholesale for a new lp is long gone, its anywhere from $24 on up now and retail is sometimes $40-$50. I honestly do not know how much longer I will be able to do this if the prices stay or go up anymore. Quality control should be better as well I have had people bring back vinyl that is dirty, scuffed and even have the wrong album title inside.

[@DanielHog13]

Mike, Insightful. Timely. Useful. Entertaining. Kudos.

[@asds21]

I agree with complaints on super high pricing. The higher end albums were the only albums selling at $35+ for single LPs. But this year alone, the new Stones and Gilmour albums were $40 each. That's crazy. Plus the highs of 2020 and 2021 I think had a lot to do with lockdowns. People needed something to do being stuck at home for large lengths of time. We don't have that trouble anymore.

[@bigbean78]

I’m 45 and just got into buying and listening to vinyl. There’s certain albums I’ve looked for, but I like finding cool used stuff randomly. My local music store puts out new arrivals on Sunday. I’ve found some great stuff flipping through that rack, not looking for anything in particular. I feel like I’m getting introduced to music that I otherwise would never hear. B.B. King and Bobby Bland’s “Together For The First Time…Live” and “Live Johnny Winter And” with Rick Derringer are a couple of gems I’ve found recently.

[@robbiedetroitstigermanviny8883]

Things are down for whatever the reason. Even Vinyl KZbinrs aren't making as much content anymore. It has reached its peak and we are headed downhill at the moment. I've been buying records since 1973, 51 years. The business wont lose us old guys.

[@pauluz1969]

I miss Mike Fremer's entertaining and imformative videos. The Vinyl Attack channel ground to a halt a long time ago.

[@NickP333]

Thanks, Mike. Appreciate the insight.

[@mandomtz]

Sales are down 33% because prices are at least 33% more expensive. The records industry is just shooting themselves in the foot with the same gun they used when they started charging 18 dollars for CD's in the late 90's/early 2000's. When the average release is 40 bucks the value is just not there anymore. Also, with the insane cost of living, there just less money to spend on frivilous luxury items like vinyl.

[@analoguecity3454]

That story is false, it's up 6%! That story is "fake news"!

[@michaeltache3681]

Don’t call vinyl collecting frivolous lol

[@ab3000x]

sales are actually up

[@heavyheadsrecords]

Another take from another store owner - kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZ_Rg4pqf82Vb6M

[@chrisw9096]

Absolutely right.

[@rEdf196]

The vinyl mania peak ended with the release of the Adele triple vinyl in 2022 and all the lofty expectations of huge sales only to gather dust at at the stores and a likely dollar binner in the future.

[@jconsolmagno]

Adele records are pulled up in my Walmart at the same price as they were upon release. I agree.

[@bizzynomo6624]

Former record store guy here - another long-term sales trend that might be at play here is vinyl upgrading. From 2015-2018 as vinyl was gaining in popularity, me and a bunch of my friends got on the bandwagon and decided to upgrade our decades old collections. I personally replaced about 300 worn out LP's that sounded terrible. Then I upgraded my TT and didn't want to play the rest of my crap vinyl on it, so in the 2019-2022 timeframe I went all in on replacing much more of the collection w/new reissue/remaster/audiophile copies, and was buying 150-200 LP's yr. After all that buying, I've covered a bunch of my wish list and am now just grabbing new release/reissue titles I've not previously owned, which has dropped my purchases to ~100 LP's a year.

[@heavyheadsrecords]

Another take from another store owner - kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZ_Rg4pqf82Vb6M

[@calesaucer6999]

I’m noticing that prices are starting to retrace a bit on used records, which is a trend I hope continues. There are a lot more copies floating around again from people who’ve come and gone and sold their collections.

[@ZJ-ne9kn]

Wow, this is the most optimistic video I've seen about this topic, and I've watched 3 just today. I'm not a record store owner, but i have been buying since 2014. I have well over 1000 records in my collection. As well as other things i collect down, 33 percent sounds bad, but i still see more people my age, which i am 24 in the last 3-4 years, then i ever saw when i first started. Then again, it doesn't affect me either way. i was here before the resurgence. I'll be here after i agree, tho it's good to be optimistic yet realistic in general anyway.. 👍😁

[@seanmoore4956]

Agree 100%. Own a indie record store and sales are a little less than last year but not much. Maybe off 3%. Have seen a higher number of people selling us CDs but also more people buying CDs. Still have younger folks buying vinyl and wanting more which is encouraging. The panic for us is non-existent. We have more good quality pressing capacity online now and titles seem to be more consistent and people are still buying, but thank goodness for used. Selling new lps is a stone cold drag. Razor thin margins. We practically give them away.

[@vintagemio]

Business is still booming at our location. We had an all-time high in sales last month. If FOMO exists, so does FEAR MO with today's economy and the media does a poor job of manipulating people's buying patterns (all fear). Our background/prior background of employment used to be monitoring financial patterns in ALL genres of business and determining what activity was unusual/normal based on facts/movement of funds. You've touched upon many good points why things hit in 2020 but there are alot more reasons why records hit in all time high during the pandemic. There is still a tremendous amount of $$$ in this industry - it's a comfort industry especially when recessions hit. Money is out there and doing more events in the community has proven lucrative for our little store. Really good video MIKE.

[@LPS-R-US]

Mike topical topic...you beat me to it. I don't have a store but same stuff going on via EBAY. KEEP ROCKN

[@kdub3562]

I've had to cut back on ordering due to economy/inflation and employment uncertainty. Had to cut bk on items that aren't a necessity for the time being.

[@apanos2012]

Look, those of us who have been buying vinyl for the last 30 or 40 years, you become selective but you never give up buying. For those out there that just started buying vinyl in the last 8 years, its all about the sound, the physical attraction, the connection, the memories or the fact that your favorite band just came out with there newest album and is releasing it on vinyl for the first time. To just say i am giving it up because the prices are to much, you obviously do not understand the concept of having your favorite artists on vinyl in the first place. Do not be discouraged, keep your vinyl collection, you will learn to appreciate it rather then regretting it 20 years down the road like most of us did when we were buying back in the 70s & 80's and ditch our vinyl for cassettes and Cds.

[@billyboy67321]

That’s why I still have a cd player and a streamer. The prices for vinyl is ridiculous so I’ve stopped buying.

[@Stuntman_nh]

K

[@analoguecity3454]

CDs stink, why deal with archaic CDs when you can stream 3 times the sound quality on "Quobuz" and "tidal"! Redbook is not good enough! CDs were rushed out on the market, and 44.1k 16 bit was never good enough for proper hi-fi!

[@marcellavankraaij]

@@analoguecity3454perhaps you should listen to a good CDT and DAC within a decent setup and you will be surprised how good red-book can sound

[@billyboy67321]

@@analoguecity3454 well for me cd quality is good enough with a good transport and dac and yes I’ve got qubuz which I use a lot and using my tt less often.

[@omarfranco2077]

Same here, my buying power has gone down. I have other priorities. Streaming is working for me, I am still a music lover and that will never change.

[@mrzots]

Also you need space to store your records...That's my number one issue 😕

[@noblerecords]

Great take, totally agree!

[@kgobrien1]

there goes that bubble....

[@markhutchins7808]

Inflation and the cost of living have cut into everyone's income. I've also become more selective.

[@latheofheaven]

You're a genuine guy Mike... I'm glad to see that you seem to be doing okay. Sorry about that ballbusting that one time when you made 1 video 'Members Only', maybe that was just a boo boo... Take care Sir!

[@benitocamelo5633]

This will no doubt be a true testament of what record stores are in it to cater to the genuine collector, and what record stores were established just to jump on the vinyl craze… 🙏🏽

[@Zasu42]

Touchable media. Nothing like it. Yeah, once you hear an excellent recording that is basically a "spiritual experience" you can't unhear it. Good point. If I buy a book, I often give it a ceremonial kiss. I don't Kindle. You appear to be a passionate, humble individual. Good on sir. PS, I do comics also.

[@trippmoore]

12:59. 💯 You hit the nail on the head. This has always been it for me ever since I bought a my first LP in 1980 at the age of 7.

[@user-jp3vl5jx1j]

Never had quality issues with CDs, they dont age or warp, they can be had pretty cheap and with a good* player they sound awesome. (*Look for early Philips players, recapped and oversampling removed or any modern higher end player.) Or hook any CD transport to an external DAC of your liking. So many options to make digital sound great.

[@celtic-audiophile]

Bought more this year than ever, what’s awesome is the choices available now of brilliant audiophile recordings. What pisses me off, is the QC, I had 34 records delivered from my go to U.K. guy last week, 5 warped, 2 of those also full op pops and clicks and 2 others duff. I bought a cheap flattener from a small US company, has been in constant use this week, 4 hours per record but worked pretty good.

[@MarkChristensen-yw9kz]

Example; Atlantic anniversary series. $60.00 for a Bad Company, Yes, CSN etc etc?! I love these bands but they're common records that sound fine originally and can be found easily. The new BlueNote box, 1 Lee Morgan record and a bunch of filler, $225.00!! Prices are crazy imo.

[@mazzysmusic]

Those are premium editions. Many new artists and albums in the $20-30 range being released every week. I just visited 8 record stores in Los Angeles with lots of used records under $10 or 15. Of course rare collectibles are higher.

[@MarkChristensen-yw9kz]

Still, it doesn't change the fact they're too expensive no matter how "premium." My opinion of course.

[@BradB-h9y]

I wanted the recent Rhino Hi Fi Cars record. The gougers on Discogs want 150 and up for he record that was $35 bucks just a year or so ago. My OG Cars album sounds great…it’s good enough for me.

[@classicrock7890]

It would be logical that units sold could be down given the price rises.

[@nothingimportant4504]

My buying is down compared to the last three years by choice. I am no longer chasing down grails, at least for now. I spent waaaaay too much money between July 2020 and the end of December 2023. Most of the audiophile records I bought above retail because they were gaining value, are essentially worth less than what I paid for them now, because 75% of it is back in print. Now, I bought one copy, for me, to keep, no duplicates. I wasn’t buying to flip, and I did expect a lot of the records I bought to come back down, I just thought it would’ve been years. This is a good thing for record buyers.

[@ralphbolton4865]

If I drink and vinyl, I wait till the next day to put them back on the shelf. I'm still looking for a Lana Del Ray record I put back over a month ago!

[@bellisariosonic]

Great video Mike. I am not sure if sales are down, but there are certainly more sales online which indicates they may be down. It makes sense being there are several factors at work. For one, inflation makes everything more expensive including necessities. People have to eat. In general, they have less money to spend on entertainment. Second, oversaturation. Although this is a great time for reissues, the market cannot bear the amount being pressed. Add these in with new releases and I believe there are simply too many coming out each month. Third, most of those buying records in high quantities are still middle-aged and above. Once you have 3 thousand records in your collection the FOMO effect goes away for most people. How many records can you listen to? If you miss something, there is something else coming out soon that you want so it doesn't really matter. For example, I am not going to run out and get the new Blue Note box set because I already have a ton of Lee Morgan records to listen to. I have many options to spend my 200 bucks on with other releases. All that being said, I think the vinyl market is still in good shape overall. If sales are down the market will compensate for it in the amount being pressed or the sales price will drop. Also, records have a concrete worth in that they are a medium for listening to music. Baseball cards and stamps do not. All you can do is look at them.

[@thomashertl3037]

Many thanks for sharing your experience and view of the current situation. For my part as a passionate vinyl record buyer, I am glad that this craze is going towards an end. Ever increasing artificial creation of fomo, the enormous flood of new releases and reissues and superfluous re-re-releases of albums with color, mastering, material, speed, pressing and whatever variations are now meeting an oversaturated market with economic pressures and buyer generation changes. It has finally turned into a normal buyer market, and this is good as it will force competition on quality and price-value. I have cut back on vinyl purchases by 90%, and, guess what, my purchases are way more deliberate, the sellers are way more comforting, each of my rarer purchases leads to a more immediate and focused listening experience, and the market will, hopefully, be cleansed of poor quality, low value for money and superfluous release type players. Healthy competition will rule again. Most welcome!

I don’t buy so many new vinyl records anymore. I mostly look for pre used records at fairs and flea markets. I’m drifting more towards used CD’s and playing lossless music from my computer to a DAC to my hifi.

[@marks8887]

My COVID vinyl mistake: Craft's "small batch" Relaxin' with Miles. It's still available!

[@nathanverni9143]

that was the album that put me over the edge. it was worse than the ojc i bought from amazon for $19

[@Zimmy68]

High prices, double albums should not cost double, every artist new release is 2 LPs now. On the used front, record store owners depending on Discogs to make as much money. No hidden gems anymore, even used is over priced. Those are my thoughts from a buyer.

[@Mr.BigSquid]

Yea, record stores using Discogs really ruined the hobby. They see one idiot bought a record on a drunk bender for 20x the normal price and use that to justify their exorbitant price tag in store. When price in store started matching online we jumped the shark. It’s also a vicious cycle, EBay & Discogs obviously benefit greatly from prices increasing and stores too.

[@teetoo3790]

Just about all collectibles are down. Vinyl,comicbooks,sportscards,Funkos and video games. People are going outside now and spending the money on experiences.

[@alexanderfisher8829]

In the UK many LPs are over £30 for a single album.Warner charged £59 for the recent Fleetwood Mac live release

[@niebuhrsongs]

I used to buy 50-100 new records a year and would gladly take a chance on something. With prices being what they are now, I buy about half, and I certainly know exactly what I'm buying these days. Gone are the days of picking up random s*it for the fun of it.

[@AppleMan531]

And, The whole limited edition thing is starting to turn a lot of buyers off. We use to get the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) Feeling, but after a while, that wears on you to the point where you say if I get one fine. If not, it's also fine! We run out early in the morning on RSD, only to see those items reissued at a later date. I challenge anyone to argue my point!

[@Vinylfromtheunderground]

Excellent insight sir. There is a segment of vinyl buying and collecting that has increased in a huge way. Top condition vintage lps and vintage in the shrink or in shrink with hype sticker. These LPs sell for a major premium these days. Much higher than Covid and pre-Covid times. 2x to 3x higher

[@AppleMan531]

And, I noticed that the record companies are also seeing that the Consumer is complaining about prices. Rhino Records have a series called Now Playing, which is a series of Hits collections that are very affordable. Remember back in the day when record companies had certain product like Sony had the Nice Price Series, Warners had Super Savers, Capitol also had a budget series. The record companies need to take another look at all those Discount series that the labels once offered.

[@Mr.BigSquid]

I’m hearing a lot of kids come into the store and discuss price on new/used. It’s too costly so they leave with nothing. They try to find cheap stuff but can’t, and it’s usually beat up. Records gained popularity pre-2010 cause they was cheap. It had a “cool” factor but that’s fading now when everyone’s dad is into the hobby.

[@macdrummer007]

"33 1/3 down".Ring any bells? Someone pulling your chain.

[@joelgrossman2350]

The big growth in record sales happened as follows - People buying vinyl in the last 10 years were mostly starting from scratch, either rebuilding their long “disposed of” old collection or starting in vinyl for the first time. This caused a big rush in sales of “classics”. Most people aren’t buying the same records again and again, unless you a part of the subset of buyers who are more serious audiophiles looking for better sounding copies from audiophile remastered issues.

[@GhostFace_OG]

Didn't we all call this? The labels cannibalized their own market with these prices. Greed was always going to be the downfall of the music industry (labels), and they never learn with each format.

[@jeffnawrot8411]

Prices have gotten crazy. 40 bucks for EPs now. I’m out!!!

[@zingpulse4138]

$35/39 dollars for a single slab and $45/$52 for a double. Way too high.

[@chinstrappengin]

Thanks for the vid, Mike!

[@Stoudman]

It's weird for me, because I just got back into collecting after I started a collection in 2015 and my autistic interests eventually changed. It'll happen again, at least this time I still had all the stuff I had already collected, all surprisingly still in good condition. The idea behind restarting the collection now is to start a $5 collection. I mean, look....back in 2015 in Portland, I'd go to Everyday Music and they had a friggin 10 cent bin, a 25 cent bin, a dollar bin...I got a very good copy of Journey - Escape for a quarter for crying out loud. Today, I don't even see dollar bins in the record stores near me. My best finds are at thrift stores, and I can thankfully still find some good stuff for between $2-$5 a pop. And that's the idea, to build a decent library of music for as cheap as possible and prove it can still be done even in modern times. Maybe the days of finding a very popular title for a quarter are relegated to the elusive garage sale where they somehow don't know what they have, but you can still find good deals, especially if (like me) you don't have a lot of the classic records that most people already have and thus overlook.

[@Greg_vmp]

I checked my vinyl purchase history from 10 years ago on Amazon. Some MoFi Dylan releases were 30 Canadian dollars. Today, almost every new release is between $50 or $60 or more. My salary did not double in last 10 years. The new The Cure preorder is $60 Canadian for standard black vinyl. I cut down on vinyl purchases significantly.

[@bismarkmontalvan6850]

Always go with the black vinyl, they have better sound compared to colored vinyl.

[@threadnugent]

Remember compact discs; the deluxe and super deluxe editions, remastered, box sets etc….Same thing is happening with vinyl… I kept my badass collection in the 80’s when all my friends dumped their for cds… I never stopped buying vinyl… I see through the marketing scam with vinyl as I did with cds… I buy records all the time mainly eBay and Discogs… original pressings only usually spend bn $12-$30 rock new wave punk prog etc… in some cases it doesn’t have to be expensive…

[@thomaspynchon2871]

It's perfectly viable to sell a record for $20 profitably, I've bought dozens for around that price direct from artists in recent years. The problem is (whether it's the artists or labels) so few new releases are a single piece of black vinyl - it has to be a 2 disc set or (at least) three variants, some of which are needlessly limited and on and on, it's just gone too far. Then the reissues, particularly Jazz, silly prices because they know the kind of people who want those records really want them and will forgo buying three rock/pop albums to get one Mingus album for the same price.

[@Razputinov]

Vinyl has opened me me up to genres of music I wouldn’t have discovered otherwise. I wouldn’t have discovered reel to reel.

[@jessesoto5175]

@@Razputinov KZbin does the same for me.

[@RYANLOWEMPLS]

Our store's overall sales are up just a few hundred dollars so far this year. What we aren't moving in new vinyl stock we're making up for with used vinyl stock sales.

[@heavyheadsrecords]

Another take from another store owner - kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZ_Rg4pqf82Vb6M

[@FasuloA]

I can tell you for me when I started collecting in 2022 I bought A LOT of stuff. Some things I maybe only have to this day listened to a couple times. Like most hobbies I’m more choosy now on things I’ll really find enjoyment with. And I’m more comfortable buying used records now vs when I started it was all new re releases. It just depends on what I find in the wild. But absolutely I keep buying and will continue.

[@UncleMilty88]

Prices are out of control. It’s made it prohibitive

[@MattHayesVinyl]

The bubble is bursting. They've been increasing the price year after year because the demand has kept going up. But now we're reaching a plateau, a tipping point where the price increases are actually *lowering* demand. I don't know if there too many records being released at high points but there certainly too many variations of albums. Just look at some of Taylor Swift's albums and the seemingly 50 different color/splatter variations. And don't get me started on the Target, Walmart, Best Buy etc. "exclusives" that are really just cash grabs. The problem is that these variations are often aimed at young people... except young people have the least amount of disposable income. It reminds me of the video game crash of 1983. Too many products, more supply than demand, and serious quality issues with many of the products. That's what we are seeing with vinyl... rushed pressings, often digitally sourced and on colored vinyl so they don't sound great, and with absurdly high price tags. That's simply not sustainable.

[@BlueSky...]

"Don't drink and vinyl" *Love it!!*

[@danielcombs3207]

I agree with everything you have all said. I started buying vinyl again in the last decade and prices have gone up dramatically. It’s a shame that is the case. But with the cost of everything else soaring vinyl is just not as fun to buy new anymore. I buy used and I’m not particular about audiophile records. I just want to enjoy music on vinyl. Quality is important to me. I splurged a few years ago on RSD on a triple Bill Evans album and returned it three times because of pops and snaps. I gave up and got store credit.

[@ChrisMag100]

Sales are down in other markets too. My friend who works for a top-3 European motorcycle dealer in the US mentioned this to me recently. He says they were #2 in July and sold far fewer bikes than would be typical.

[@randytaylor220]

Good. Sales and demand need to dip a bit. eBay pricing is getting out of control. I collect and I will pay for what I want but some of these asking prices are ridiculous.

[@cradio52]

I’m just so exhausted by brand new record after brand new record arriving with scratches, scuffs, non-fill, etc., fresh out of the shrink wrap, especially when I can crack open a sealed 50 year old record that looks and plays perfectly. Especially when they’ve increased the prices substantially. It’s absurd.

[@thomascaselli6139]

I can only speak for myself, for the last ten years I bought a lot more albums than I did in the prior 50 years, especially very rare albums I always wanted. At the end of 2023 I had to add more storage cabinets. My wife and I then had to shift the majority of the collection to alphabetize the records. I couldn’t straighten up for a week, and I realized that I had way too many copies of many albums. That in conjunction with reaching 70 and retiring made me rethink buying every reissue. This year with the exception of a few albums I haven’t bought many records. $30-$40 for a record is not expensive given the amount of entertainment it provides. I do think the high price end of audiophile reissues have gone overboard, $125-$150 is excessive but I guess if they keep making them there is a market. My only gripe is they need to choice titles that haven’t been done to death. I will say that many of the reissues today are superb and easily compete with originals. Mike, I don’t watch many You Tube record videos but yours are head and shoulders above any others because your come across as truthful and honest, keep up the good work.

[@yankeesandgiants1886]

I grew up with records (45s and LPs), 8-track tapes, cassette tapes, then CDs. Now I get streaming through Amazon. Every single song known to man- pretty much- and I can listen through headphones as I walk. Life is good.

[@vetreportsaei4605]

I stopped buying end of last year, both new and used, and bought a better digital to analog converter (DAC) for streaming. Vinyl prices are not worth it.

[@clintalloy]

Records are great to listen to and collecting is fun. With any collectibles though, buy what you actually like. When you start buying for "investment" or speculation, you are better off buying some stocks or mutual funds. imo.

[@jondubb35]

I don’t really give a shit if vinyl sales are down. I don’t really give a shit if they’re up. Makes no difference to me. I don’t collect records for the sake of collecting. I purchase vinyl records because that is my preferred medium of choice. I don’t stream music, I don’t listen to digital downloads. I’m 47 years old, and there hasn’t been a time in my life when I haven’t had vinyl records, and aside from some kind of “Walking Dead” style apocalypse that would make it near impossible to own physical music formats, I will always have records, and I will always prefer the vinyl format for consuming music. If you started collecting simply for the sake of collecting, and then get angry, and start bitching because prices have skyrocketed, go stare into a mirror and you’ll see who’s to blame. 🖕🏻

[@DANVIIL]

The dollar's purchasing power is down 40% vs Gold and Silver year to date. Credit Card debt is way up and the consumer is being squeezed harder and harder as food prices are way up. Rent is up and people in general have less cash to spend. Look at how bad restaurants are doing nationally. Wages are down in real terms. The government interest on the debt has justt hit $1 trillion per year. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the economy is breaking and something is going to give.

[@Mr.BigSquid]

Absolutely right. Numerous red lights flashing. They’ve held things together for the elections but the economy is really starting to erode. Inflation will continue cause they’re presumably gonna try to inflate away the national debt. Also, private equity is going to keep squeezing us all cause the pensions and so forth. House of cards is coming down.

[@theglavine]

There's truth there but it has been building for years and it's worse in most of the world!

[@lauher21]

We love you Mike

[@DerekJack-y7w]

You can often find a decent OG copy cheaper than the reissue lol

[@danielcombs3207]

I agree with everything you have all said. I started buying vinyl again in the last decade and prices have gone up dramatically. It’s a shame that is the case. But with the cost of everything else soaring vinyl is just not as fun to buy new anymore. I buy used and I’m not particular about audiophile records. I just want to enjoy music on vinyl.