Why Are Vinyl Records So Expensive? Will Prices Come Down?

[@shadouk6737]

Looking on the bright side - it's a really good time to get back into CDs before those prices rise which often sound just as good when you consider that most modern recordings are digital anyway.

[@domfjbrown75]

Too right. Go for unbarcoded European CDs and you're on a potential winner!!!

[@flyingburritobro68]

CDs already going up. What was 3-4 bucks is now 6-8 at record shows already

[@arzabael]

I’m going to start collecting CDs.

[@wesleyburks5368]

Do they not use a process where they decompress the digital signal and make it more analog? Because otherwise wouldn’t grooves on the records be smaller and the lps could fit more songs? Don’t know just asking how that process works considering R.I.A.A. Standards still have to be met! The major difference between vinyl and cd’s is the lack of surface noise and the pops and clicks you can have on vinyl . But the the music on cd’s is highly compressed compared to that of vinyl. However I’m sure there is electronic equipment out there that can convert the signal back to a more uncompressed sound.

[@davidoswell3079]

You can defeat supply and demand by not purchasing overpriced vinyl. Thus, demand decreases and potentially prices (might) decrease...I shop for the best price and if I can't find a good price I patiently wait until I find a fair price and condition.

[@drwisdom1]

I have about 30 feet of LPs I bought before they stopped selling them in 1989. Back when I went to college in the mid 1970s the price of records at the nearby campus record store was $3.99. Then Pink Floyd Animals came out and the price of new records became $4.99 while records issued before Animals remained $3.99. I used an inflation calculator and it said $3.99=$21.70 today, $4.99=$27.14 today. $27 isn't much less than $30 so records aren't that much more expensive than when I went to college. The big jump in prices came when they discontinued records and went to CDs which were 3+ times the price of records.

[@tomsherwood4650]

IT is the government induced inflattion that they should be angry about rather than looking at old price stickers, DUH

[@slidetek]

I've been collecting (in earnest) since the early 70's. There's a lot of reasons for vinyl costing "more" including the price of petroleum, _even in manufacturing._ Remember, many LP's these days are 180g, that's more than 50% more vinyl than the typical 90-110g of typical albums. To put things in perspective, I've got an import Psychedelic Furs album I bought in 1980. The price on the poly sleeve from Tower Records says $10.99. In today's dollars, that's about *$39.* Hmmm, all of a sudden what's the big deal? Sure, a US pressing was about $7 ($24 today), but the vinyl was terrible in many cases. We never had audiophile anything until the late 80's renaissance. Today, a typical 180g repress/remaster/reprint goes for $21-25. A relative bargain, considering what I spent on imports (even import CD's) in the 70's-90's. Yes, some popular LP's are priced insanely (like $40 for a Simon & Garfunkle), and all I can say is _vote with your wallet._

[@mrfroopy]

Exactly. Plus there is much smaller production than there was back in the 70s and 80s

[@Sunnbobb]

Slidetek, you beat me to it. I paid around $10 for a record back in the mid 70's. The premise that records are expensive at $30 in 2023 is a false premise indeed.

[@jamieokane989]

@@defcreator187based on what parameters?

[@iamnobody2]

huh, i find it odd they'd price simon and garfunkle at a premium, since it's still mad easy to find perfectly clean old simon and garfunkle records very cheaply

[@Rockstaralan]

@@iamnobody2 Not anymore when last I checked. Everywhere I look lately, I'm seeing used Simon and Garfunkel albums going for between $20-35 on average, and not even in the greatest condition - which represents ANOTHER facet of the current problem with the vinyl resurgence.

[@twiggyzappa]

Thanks so much for the info! I always wondered when the prices will eventually if ever drop.

[@wesleyburks5368]

I cruise Walmart and Best Buy and look for discounted or marked down records for 19.00 or 19.99 usd where I have found a lot of classic rock, country and alternative music that I like and have purchased!

[@soundmatters]

Great tip. Thanks for your contribution on the topic. Happy spinning!

[@paulhickey6896]

Taking the price I paid in the '80s for vinyl and adjusting for inflation they would be dearer than they actually are! Records today are actually a bit of a bargain!!

[@riffcrypt8438]

I've been building a nice collection and haven't spent over $20 USD per record. Literally just wait. These stores are universally just putting items out with insane markups and drop the price for each passing month it stays on the shelf. NEVER buy new releases.

[@soundmatters]

Nice! Yes, I’m sure there is a fair degree of opportunism. Happy spinning 🎧🎶

[@CoolPlayer2056]

If we stop buying them and sales decline by a large amount, then they will be forced to lower the prices. These companies are selling them for whatever people are willing to pay for them.

[@jerrywcarman1483]

I used to buy vinyl before the CD came out. Back then the price of vinyl was about $6.00 or so, and CDs were about $15.00. That has been about 40 years. Things are much different now. The price of CDs has held or actually come down, while the price of vinyl has skyrocketed. CDs sound much better anyway. When are you ever gonna learn?

[@jerryspann8713]

These got damned hipsters will never learn. Usually I would not give a rats ass, but these bastards are causing CDs to dissappear. What happened to consumers choice and don't respond with a sarcastic response of then just don't buy it.

[@andrewhaines3259]

I've been buying vinyl since the late 70's. I couldn't afford a CD player, or the CDs when they were initially launched, so continued buying vinyl, along with cassettes. I finally bought a CD player in the late 90s and, if memory serves me, my first two discs were Tubular Bells and DSOTM. I got rid of all my cassettes when I got into minidisc, but as that medium never really took off, I transferred to CDR and sold off all my minidiscs. I now buy mainly vinyl, although I'm more selective in my choices, i.e. only purchasing what I will play, so that has reduced outlay and I buy CDs when there is no vinyl version of the album I would like. No one is forcing anyone to purchase at the current prices. The only way prices will drop is if interest in the medium wanes and there is no longer a market for them as happened when everyone jumped on the CD bandwagon, but that will mean the value of your collection will also drop, so will leave you in negative equity. It's market forces and will always be so. As others have pointed out, realistically, prices are generally on target with inflation, although when you look at price comparisons of new releases, the UK nearly always comes off as being charged the most for the same item!

[@soundmatters]

Thanks fire sharing. I find the U.K. is almost always more expensive for almost everything. Also, I think people feel like the prices are very high because wages haven’t necessarily kept up with inflation for a lot of people. But yes, absolutely, market forces. Happy spinning 🎶🎧

[@phrtao]

For $40 you can buy usually buy a hi def digital master. Essentially the same thing as owning the master recordings that these records are made from. The last time I had a turntable was over 30 years ago at the end of the 1980s and records were so cheap (all second hand but they were generally very well made). I switched to CD because it was easier and I did not have the room to devote to a nice turntable setup. I still have most of those LPs but they are in storage.

[@dundee12]

When adjusted for inflation, modern records cost the same (or slightly less) than what they did in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1967, Sgt. Pepper would've cost roughly 40 GBP so I don't see the big deal

[@jerryspann8713]

This inflation bullshit doesn't apply to CDs. Nice Try.

[@SaintMartins]

In Canada. I stopped buying vinyl in 2010 when for the first time i saw local record stores selling 'used' vinyl for $15 -$20. The 1990's was the best time to buy vinyl. It wasn't popular anymore because CD's ruled the world. 1990's: Average used vinyl was $5.99 & more popular titles were $9.99 1990's: New sealed vinyl cost between $17.99 to $19.99

[@alastairmckain4623]

I don’t have any real issues with single vinyl I do however feel that Box sets are getting ridiculously expensive!

[@primeanalogrecords]

Absolutely a money grab! Ridiculous GnR box and the new RS Mono box! Outrageous at those are $40 per disc!

[@sadboi7537]

@@primeanalogrecords That Use Your Illusions box set is pretty dope though. It’s literally a “kitchen sink” set that has everything.

[@primeanalogrecords]

@@sadboi7537 yeah but $40 a record is outrageous! They were even selling use your illusion one and two separately for $40 at Walmart! I’m going to get very specialized when it comes to new vinyl purchases in 2023! If all of us would stop buying everything they put out the prices would come down

[@sadboi7537]

@@primeanalogrecords $40 a record is ridiculous to you? Obviously I don’t know what your budget is, but it doesn’t sound too outlandish to me, especially in this insane market. I’ve been at this since 2001, so it’s clearly a different beast than it was back then. I just, unfortunately, spent almost $600 on 8 records a few weeks back. All OG presses of rare 80’s thrash in VG++ or Ex shape. It’s shitty, don’t get me wrong, but it’s what this passion/hobby has turned into.

[@primeanalogrecords]

@@sadboi7537 it’s not about my budget it’s about supply and demand! I’ve collecting since 1978! I worked in a record store back then and loved it! But the prices now are ridiculous even with inflation! It’s a mass produced piece of plastic and cardboard! The raw materials haven’t gone up that much but licensing may have!

[@jgnmtz]

I’ve been frequenting this used records store, but they always seem to have scratches and the cover has been abused or neglected

[@soundmatters]

What are the prices like in the used store, out of interest? Considering the condition..

[@soundssimple1]

They are only 'expensive' because we pay the price asked. If we feel they are good value then we will continue to pay. A $38 album today was $7 dollars back in 1975 when all the classics were around. It is all relative. if there is a general feeling they are not good value then do something about it. What do we do? Worldwide we pick a month, we stop buying for this month and watch the shops reaction.

[@michaelbradley7595]

Its because "collectors" are willing to pay too much money for something. Its no longer about the real enjoyment of music. There are so many ways to hear the music in good quality if that is all you really care about. What often galls me is the taste of the buyers of albums that become rare. Paying a fortune for a stupid Journey album pressing that every one already has on digital seems really idiotic to me.

[@RobertQuant]

Streaming dosent count 😅😅😅😅 cds and records have better sound quality always and u own the music 📀📀📀🤘📀📀

[@angharaddenby3389]

Do these record sellers not realise the the higher the price, the fewer people there are who an afford them. Eventually, they will be SO costly that NOBODY can afford them and so the sellers will go out of business due to no sales. Do they not realise that this is slow economic suicide? Surely it is better to make a few pennies profit per sale on a lot of sales than to make a pound/dollar profit per sale on a few sales? The lower the price of something, then the more people can afford to buy them. And why do some bands insist on putting out the same album on up to 15 different colour variations or more?

[@travishicks8635]

Prices are getting so high, it's getting harder to resist the temptation of cashing out.

[@wilcalint]

Your a young man. Back in the hay day of vinyl records. Lets tag that at like 1966. The distribution system of LP's was a very well oiled process. LP's were distributed basically the same way magazines were. That being the magazines were put on the display shelves, left there for a while then removed and recycled. LPs were the same. The LPs were put on display ( in the bins ) and if the LP(s) didn't sell they were returned to distribution. Many times distribution would return the LPs to a recycler who would remove the LP from their sleeve. The sleeves would go though the same paper recycler as newspaper and cardboard. The LP itself would have its center label punched out then the vinyl sent to recycle. That helped to keep costs down. Your original Beach Boys LP probably is using recycled vinyl. New term for you. "Virgin Vinyl". That being Vinyl that had not been reprocessed. That would find its way into the Audiophile market. The art of making decent LP vinyl is all but gone. Never to return. No one is going to invest in new LP pressing plants. The market is way way too small.

[@wilcalint]

Where do you think those tics and pops came from on that new record back in 1976? Some re-processors didn't punch the center label out of LPs before recycling them.

[@jgnmtz]

I was an avid vinyl listener in the 70’s as a teen . Now I’m trying to get back to vinyl in my 60’s .. vinyl LP’s are too expensive. The industry should expand production to places that don’t charge excessive taxes (NV, FL, ND) . We need more production .l I hate to say ‘send it overseas like all other products ‘..but I can’t afford $30 for a vinyl record , when I want to collect over 100 records in the next year .. also , turntables are too expensive and cheaply made. We should have access to UK, and overseas market directly

[@ma-bn8jh]

The golden age is long gone:-(. I remember from around 2006 to 2014 here in China, you could get great records for about $2 US John Coltrane, Fela Kuti, Sex Pistols, Blondie, Moodyman, Pink Floyd, Clapton, Creedence Clearwater, whatever. I once went to Shenzhen to go digging with a friend and my girl. It was heaven. That was back when people were dumping their record collections in bulk. It was coming to China as trash. They were melting it down. We were literally racing through 10,000 to 20,000 records cause somebody was coming to buy it by the pound probably to be melted or sold for decorations. We said we would continue to buy records, but somehow stopped. Same thing is happening with film Kodak is not prepared for the resurgence of film and film stocks are hard to come by or he77a exepensive.

[@cosmickatamari]

I just want VMP to rerelease Fiona Apple - Tidal. The Discogs price is nuts.

[@primeanalogrecords]

When I go into say an antique shop, where they have lots of records, I go through and pick out the ones I want not worrying too much about how much they’re charging! The ones who are charging exorbitant will find out soon enough when no one buys their stuff! Other ones I sit down and tell them and teach them about Discogs, and what value the older records have! Many times they have them priced at the rare, pressing, and or not understanding condition, is everything on both the record and the jacket! Help them understand or don’t shop there if they have no room to haggle and don’t want to learn! Let them go out of business!

[@tomsherwood4650]

Buy vintage and save tons of money and get stuff you cannot get now. The thing is always carefully inspect what you are buying for wear and damage. Then it pays off greatly buying clean sharp vintage.

[@gregtapevideo1464]

We need to get the general public interested in CDs again so they stop buying our precious vinyl!!😆 personally I still have the records I bought as a teenager in the seventies. I never got rid of them. My interest was rekindled during the lockdown. Still have my turntable too!

[@jamieokane989]

I bought an expensive turntable (Roksan Xerses) in April 1989 and kept all of my records - much to the laughing of my friends who slaughtered me for doing so. I have continued to buy vinyl through the years and happy I have done so.

[@taishakuten5141]

“So they stop buying our precious vinyl!” But of course! The gatekeeper ponytail hipster! 😂

[@jerryspann8713]

I'd rather buy a CD than his so called hipster vinyl.

[@michelleparsons9881]

No kidding! When I was a kid they were 6.00 for a Brand new release

[@Eckythump]

I get 100% of my vinyl records through parallel imports. In Australia the prices are ridiculous for no reason, especially from certain labels. Take Metallica's latest album 72 seasons. $110 here. That's equivalent to $75 USD. However, I can parallel import it for $69 (~45 USD). Tool's Fear Innoculum is $150 locally. I can import it for $99. (67 USD)

[@MaglorMusic]

What are you using for display records on the wall? Seems neat. 👌🏻

[@soundmatters]

They’re a bamboo-based product from a company called Twelve Inch. If you use my discount code on their site SOUNDMATTERS10 you get 10% off twelve-inch.com

[@folginator]

It really annoys me when a reissue album comes out as a “double album” when I clearly shouldn’t be. Three tracks per side, you have to keep flipping the darn thing over every 15 mins. You might say “that’s super easy, barely an inconvenience “ but I think it’s done so they can hike up the price. I’m not convinced it makes the record sound any better.

[@DJStanSteel]

The sound is far superior when u get a double album pressing. As long as the quality at the press.

[@chaddenton5632]

I think double vinyls might give the album more space in the center to prevent inner groove distortion I think

[@montyjanes728]

Thanks for the video. I agree as well that supply chain bottlenecks have been an issue, but I'm starting to see quite a swell in the number of records in my local record shops. I do think more growth in quality production facilities are needed as well. There is some price gouging going on though. A video shown by another KZbinr showed one shop selling records for almost double the retail price anywhere else. Yes 180 gram records are a very big thing these days, but at the same time, record jackets have become almost see through, and there aren't as many manufacturers using poly lined sleeves as they should in my opinion. The record industry has a good thing going here. Let's hope they don't price themselves back into oblivion. They'd probably sell more volume, and have more customers, and hence more profits if prices were lower. Just my opinion though

[@soundmatters]

Thanks for sharing, Monty. Twice what the retail price is does sound very unfair. Sounds like a retailer issue rather than an industry problem. Another layer to the multifaceted price debate! Thanks for the addition

[@1985debris]

@@soundmatters where did you get that light you have above your player?

[@slidetek]

Comparing covers today is depressing AF. They don't bother. My old King Crimson records for instance, I could tell the country just by the texture of the cold-pressed paper. Even the crappy USA OG had cold pressed toothy covers, varnished and even foil. MoFi can't be bothered. Many of my new German pressed remasters have poly lined inners (I still replace them) but just as many from elsewhere have heavy nasty card stock or regular paper. I'm looking at you Beggar's Banquet.

[@katoness]

I remember buying Sgt Pepper for 3 quid back in the early 90's in a second hand record shop and it was in very good condition.

[@soundmatters]

Lucky you! Great find. I got a copy of Hard Day's Night a few years back in a charity shop for 2 quid... I don't think they knew what they were selling. Original mono copy. Cover had tape on it, but the record sounds great for its age

[@jeffboothman4003]

If you adjust for inflation we are paying the same price as we were in the early 70s .

[@jerryspann8713]

If you adjusted for inflation you'd be paying $70 for CDs not $5. Your inflation argument doesn't work. Nice try hipster.

[@user-qr7ee2cp4y]

Record prices will come down when suckers stop paying the inflated prices.

[@BillAdams-fb3jm]

I wouldn't bet on prices coming down, they don't need to -- because sales keep going up. Not only that, but a lot of man hours and production costs go into making a record that don't go into making CDs or mp3s.

[@spuckz]

"lets get straight into the topic" - yeah just after the 1 minute intro we all know about already because it's all in the title haha.

[@soundmatters]

Jesus man.... alright: so I've shortened intro in recent videos. I really don't understand people like you: you comment on these things as though the person isn't there in the receiving end. Weird. Just join the conversation in a positive way.

[@wickedillusion66]

I do not see prices coming down on new releases although target and wal mart do put a lot of their title's on a deep discount from time to time. I picked up Dr Dres' Chronic 2001 for 9.89 at target. As far as used records, so many stores think anything old is rare and that's insane. I just shake my head and move on. I do still get lucky at goodwills and flea markets, you just have to be patient and dig alot. I've been digging for 40 plus years but I have a nice collection to show for it

[@kurjan1]

I honestly don't understand the question... Why do you want to reduce the price of records? Vinyl records are a very tactile, very tangible means of enjoying human endeavour in a very artistic form. In a world which is becoming more and more digitised, the ability to have something which is real and very beautiful, produced in a manner which requires enormous process... Why on earth would you want to cheapen that..?

[@automatedelectronics6062]

You have some valid points. The cost of materials and transporting product has been greatly affected by rising fuel prices. Especially in the U.S. What has also been happening in the U.S. is the rising minimum wage. They have been trying to raise it into the living wage category. So, then retail prices have to go up to compensate, including food prices. Then supply shortages blamed on COVID has added to that. In my home State of California, raises in minimum wages have been even higher. Current minimum wage here is close to what I was making in the skilled labor hi-tech field I retired from in 2018. Continuing rising taxes, especially in fuel, hasn't helped either. What people may not understand, when minimum wage goes up, all other wages go up. Many jobs wages are based on a percentage above minimum wage depending on skill level. Ofcourse unions don't help either in controlling prices. A union autoworker gets paid to screw bolts together more than many in administration who tells them what they have to do. Many of the larger record mastering facilities normally kept a large stock of lacquer mastering discs and are still using those from the factory which was destroyed. They haven't had an immediate need for new discs so taking time to replentish stock, now coming from Japan hasn't been a problem. There are lots of record pressing facilities in the U.S. and some are idle. It's not like before, but even back then major record labels didn't have their own pressing facilities. CBS, EMI and Universal(MCA) had record pressing plants and they did a lot of the pressing for the labels with didn't have facilities. Record companies started getting out of the manufacturing business decades ago. Most don't even have recording or mastering facilities anymore. They have just become offices where orders are made. I doubt any have any intention of getting back into manufacturing or recording businesses. Then there are the pressing facilities which have closed down, and not for lack of business. Awhile back a huge California pressing plant closed down, Rainbo Records. All their equipment and inventory was acquired by United Record Pressing. URP had not intentions of expanding, they just bought the equipment to keep it off the market so it couldn't be used for competition. Then, we have to consider greed. It's funny that a pressing facility like QRP can press records for Universal, who puts around a $20. US price on them, but if the record has a Analogue Productions moniker on them, the prices is close to $40. US. Although they don't have their own record label, the same happens at RTI. Both pressing companies use the same equipment for whatever they press. Quality is not much different. For the more premium records pressed they use a higher grade of vinyl, but we are talking about just pennies in price difference. I would say that rising record prices are mainly greed, but cost of materials and labor is surely a factor.

[@Ce13stialBunny]

People commodifying the medium have definitely driven up the prices mostly because they want to The format was cheap for DECADES, even adjusted for inflation it is not anywhere near how it is now. You could press records on X-Rays like they did in the USSR to secretly trade music, doesn’t seem to me a difficult nor expensive format People still make bootlegs, that’ll probably be the way to go, some of these prices are ABSURD.

[@aunch3]

Because the Boomers traded quality for convenience for everything included vinyl. If it can’t be made cheaply with slave labor in India, it’s going to be expensive.

[@latetotheparty7551]

Great overview that covers all of the big bases and even some of the smaller ones. When I first started getting into vinyl records about two years ago, I was surprised to learn that CZ manufacture 85% of the world's vinyl records back then, and that bottleneck has likely only increased given the, still lacking, number of domestic manufacturers. The current, niche nature of vinyl means that such will always be an issue, unlike the glory days when it was a dominant music medium and enjoyed all of the accordant infrastructure to help keep costs low. I don't have too much to add beyond that we vinyl enthusiasts need to voice our feedback with regularity to labels, bands, etc. that we support so that there may be more of a concerted, organized effort to lower costs without compromising quality. We, as consumers, have to ensure that the big business end knows of our interest as they will shape their actions accordingly, at least to some degree. Anchoring purchases with feedback does more to qualify sales data that's just undifferentiated. Similarly, if you have a dedicated sub-genre that you enjoy such as video games, definitely keep in contact with those you purchase from as it's much easier to have targeted feedback be more effective on a smaller scale.

[@angc1456]

please share the link that CZ manufacture 85% of the records back then..."

[@ronreynolds1610]

....and used lower condition quality LP's are too pricey ,glad I loaded up on records while they were not popular ...$ 1 -$ 2 now I need to unload ,lol too many ....now I see CD's at that low price ...mmmmmmm..reloading ?!

[@soundmatters]

CDs are some of the best bargains going in charity shops/thrift stores these days for sure

[@musclecarfan74]

I have been collecting vinyl almost 30 yrs. Almost all of my albums are originals, some are vintage reissue.

[@currentphonograph7487]

I would like 2 See's deprecated vinyl record price soon. I've heard there was 2 record pressing plants inn the USA & now there is 65

[@cirenosnor5768]

Is $40 too expensive or is it more than what people want to spend. It’s inflation like anything else. As mentioned in the clip, there aren’t enough pressing plants to keep up with demand. Plus the lacquer? factory burning down with only 2-3 other facilities available? This gives a great breakdown as to why vinyl costs what it does. People who complain records aren’t $20 have no idea of what it costs to make/ship a record or what facilities are available to press

[@jerryspann8713]

ITS NOT INFLATION BUT GREED. IF IT WAS INFLATION THEN CDS WOULD COST $70.

[@brucevair-turnbull8082]

I don't mind paying (arguably high prices) for vinyl but this is often not commensurate with quality. Take my latest purchase. I'm having to return the first two (brand new) records because of poor pressings. Quality control has been a steady slide since the 60s from what I'm hearing.

[@soundmatters]

There are some quality control issues, sadly. I've also covered this as a topic on this channel too. It's important to call it out as things like off-center pressings, non-fill and little bubbles on the record surface should be caught before the product ships.

[@likklej8]

Even at a gig one will be paying £20-5 for your favourite Band’s album.

[@surf01er66]

I've been buying from big box store, when on sale incredibly inexpensive. Sales happen often, so check frequently. They even carry some MoFi , AP titles, etc. Free shipping, fast shipping, and easy returns. I have only had 2 warped lp's, same title, easy return. Still buy the occasional OneSteps & UHQR , and yes, the difference is day & and night, but so is the price.....Aloha

[@soundmatters]

Great! Seems like you're winning there. Happy spinning

[@littlerockguy]

I paid about $8 for an album back in 1981 when I was 13 and I had to mow quite a bit of lawn to get that much money for an album lol.

[@jerryspann8713]

I paid $12 for a CD back in 1996, now the same brand new CD is $5. Quit justifying the price gouging greed.

[@FormulaProg]

Time to go back to CDs.

[@soundmatters]

Great bargains in thrift/charity stores to be had at the moment for CDs

[@ClassicGREATS]

Theyll lower the price if people would stop buyinv

[@quas3728]

Vinyl is hobby for rich people. I'm not rich so I prefer cd.

[@YTFan-eo6hu]

It’s just way too expensive for the average consumer. CDs are definitely a much better choice because they’re more affordable and they sound nicer as well. 👍🏻

[@RobertQuant]

Cds 💿 are wayyy expensive also especially old school rap cds hard to find they take advantage of the prices on cds 💿 and sell them too much only newer music on cds our used are cheap it all depends on the cds 💿 and artist 😅

[@JayEdom]

And they wonder why people steal music as mp3 or aac lossless

[@spacemissing]

Considering the buying power of top currencies (dollar, pound, etc.), record prices are not particularly high. Of course they don't affect me much because I buy mostly used stuff for a dollar or two per title.

[@DavidRobinson1978]

Record Fares seem to be my saviour for new vinyl, £10 to £15 for a new record ain't to bad, just need to watch out for bootlegs. Some of the quality control on recent releases is terrible however, chipped vinyl, misalignment of the centre holes, warps, dirty and so on.

[@soundmatters]

Cool. Which record fares do you attend?

[@DavidRobinson1978]

@@soundmatters any I can get to in London

[@cod88188]

As others have commented, the basic price for a 140g LP in a simple jacket (ie: equivalent to what I purchased in the early 1980's for around $8.00) is now selling for $20 ~ $25 dollars, which is exactly in line with basic inflation of the last 40 years and the sound quality, imo, is relatively equivalent. As also pointed out, premium issues / reissues in heavier weight with nice gatefold or boxing will add to the cost, hence current retail pricing in the $35 ~ $50 range. I will also offer, the manufacturing of an LP is really no different than it was 40 or 70 years ago and there is no real way to increase the throughput on a press, it takes the time it takes to heat up the PVC, press it and cool it... so there are no cost reductions available there and simply adding more pressing plants will NOT bring down the prices of LP's (they have the same physical pressing costs and those plants will need to be paid for from the profits of the LP's they make), though they would allow more titles to be made (as soon as another lacquer plant or two are spun up). Where I am going is, current pricing doesn't seem that out of line with general inflation and the desire for higher quality products.

[@soundmatters]

With the inflation side of things, I wonder if wages for most have actually kept up with inflation. If not, then average earners may feel they are more expensive because their buying power is less.

[@cod88188]

@@soundmatters I don't disagree with people "feeling" their buying power is less these days (and LP's are an extravagance for many) But in the early / mid 1980's I was in my late teens, earning about $3.00 / hr and LPs cost $8.00 (2.5 hrs of work / LP). A similar job is now paying $12 / hr and a $30 LP is still 2.5hrs of work / LP. I am not claiming my "back of the napkin calculations" qualify as economics, but everything seems to remain pretty much the same. Also @slidetek 's comments from a few weeks back are even a bit more detailed and make a case that some pressings are actually selling for lower than inflationary equivalence based on the heavier weight vinyl, remastering work, etc. And as @slidetek says "vote with your wallet" For myself, I am very selective about which albums I buy at all, let alone in LP format these days. Happy listening!

[@soundmatters]

@@cod88188 Well- worth being selective. Happy listening indeed

[@Gregorovitch144]

There is another aspect to this which isn't really discussed in the video. A vinyl record itself applies three additional effects to the music at point of playing: a) it adds compression, b) it applies a fairly large low cut and high cut filter and c) it adds some distortion. These are the main reasons why people say vinyl sounds "warmer" than a straight .WAV file for example. Back in the day this was taken into account when recording, mixing and mastering records. In particular both low and high frequencies were boosted significantly at the mixing stage to compensate and produce more beef in the bass and sizzle at the top end. What this means is that you have to mix a song differently for vinyl than you do for a CD or for Spotify, both in terms of levels and in terms of EQ. Also relevant here is that since people like the sound of the slight distortion you get from vinyl (for basically the same reasons they like the holy grail "edge of breakup" guitar sound through a tube amp) as well as, especially for rock/jazz and R&B/soul produced with "real" instruments, the heavy emphasis on the mid-range frequencies vinyl delivers, today these effects are added to digital mixes using a variety of distortion, EQ, compression and filter effects. In other words records today are deliberately being downgraded from perfect CD quality to a more vinyl like sound. What this means is that if you print a mix to vinyl that was originally aimed at a digital format you are going to get a double doze of these effects, which would usually mean too much. It also means that modern records will not sound any better on vinyl than they do on CD (unlike with CD versions of classic records which sound awful compared to original first vinyl pressings). The bottom line is that a mix that sounds good on vinyl won't sound good on CD and visa versa. This means that, going forward, as well as the obvious huge additional costs vinyl involves in terms of material, production, transportation and retail costs you are adding the cost of producing two mixing and mastering processes for each record, one for vinyl and one for digital formats. My own view of this is the vinyl craze is largely based on folks discovering that first pressings of classics like Kind of Blue, Led Zep IV, Exile on Main Street or Rumours sound unbelievably fantastic on a decent record deck (because they were mixed and mastered specifically to sound brilliant on vinyl) and the problems are going to set in when the supply of these treasured first pressing dry up as they inevitably must. The only way forward from there is to reproduce new and perfect facsimile first pressings of these classic records on vinyl which is very expensive and will only get more expensive. Hence I would say that when the prices of decent copies of original vinyl LPs head north of $200 and in some cases $1000 vinyl will be in the same sort of situation that reel to reel tape is in already. Exorbitantly expensive equipment and specialist media available for a few rich hobbyists.

[@cirenosnor5768]

The preference of vinyl for many isn’t just about a “warmer” sound created by the reasons you mentioned. There’s also factors such as ear fatigue created by some digital playback setups and a bigger soundstage offered by a lot of turntables compared to digital

[@lsaideOK]

Taylor Swift is probably mostly responsible for the increase this past year with almost 1 million copies of midnights sold on vinyl. And I do not see the average price of vinyl between 30 and $40. More like 20 to 30 for me. The average of what I buy being in the low 20s

[@soundmatters]

I did see that about Taylor Swift - crazy.

[@djcolourzone]

Record companies know how to fleece you. They can turn any new trend into massive profits. I believe that this is the case. is it quality of the medium ? Is it some other reason ? Well The Quality of the medium is not better than CD or 24 bit Downloads. However you get a physical medium that no other format can offer with a vinyl. On top the facilities producing vinyl are few still. For the record companies this is WIN-WIN... produce less, with less costs while making huge returns on each release. The real value of these records will not maximize for collectors until 20 years down the line or even longer. Where vinyl beats other mediums is in the hands approach of a record album. The feel, the nostalgia and the size of the covers and liner notes makes them pieces of Art !!!!!

[@johnb6723]

I think it is down to them being relatively rare, certainly vinyl records in good condition are. The costs of production are more than double that of the CD. The song 'Skyfall' is in especially high demand and supply is very low, and the cost of that one in mint condition is several hundred pounds/dollars/euros.

[@michaelbradley7595]

With a number of plays on inferior equipment that piece of Vinyl can easily become a piece of trash.

[@johnb6723]

@@michaelbradley7595 One answer to that - get a decent turntable with adjustable counterweight and anti-skate and a good stylus such as the VM95.

[@michaelbradley7595]

@@johnb6723 I already have a good Fluance turntable with a Sumiko Pearl cartridge. I only use it to play records of music I cannot find in any other more stable media.

[@classicrock7890]

If you mean the James Bond film my 7" single is incredibly noisy from new. Doubt any are mint. They go for more like £50.

[@ergloo6660]

Vinyl is what records are made from, they are LP's, records, albums etc. Do you also collect clear polycarbonate plastic substrate, with a reflective metallic layer, and a clear protective coating of acrylic plastic ie cd's?

[@VideoArchiveGuy]

If you run the average MSRP for an LP in the late 1970s/early 1980s through an inflation calculator, it comes out to be just under $30.

[@tomsherwood4650]

I think you are right. 7.98 was alot of money when I was a kid. People do not seem to grasp the economics of making a sort of niche product.

[@4336aaa]

Vinyl is so expensive because it's part of a pretentious hobby, where people believe listening to music from a turntable is somehow superior to other delivery sources.

[@SharonTateFan67]

Indeed , those " serious" music lovers.

[@4336aaa]

@@SharonTateFan67 Serious music lovers are not the problem.

[@egold1006]

I wish they would make 45 or 33 versions of at least 2 best songs. Flip to b sides were so much cheaper.

[@pumaweek169]

it is a shame what they are doing with those prices...pure greed...i am surprised how many people are trying to find excuses for such behavior! thing is, 99% of brand new records are of POOR quality...cracks, pops, scratches, skips, smudges, that's what you are paying for 40-50$ or Euros! awful, awful, quality, and that 180g vinyl is only making things worse: they were made of poor plastic and they are magnet for static electricity...vinyl "quality" has never been worse like today!

[@nickwilliams1065]

Biggest issue now is the sheer lack of pressing facilities compared to the 70's and 80's add in the modern passion of many big firms to scam as much money as possible out of the public while blaming every thing you can imagine bar GREED. So much great music about second hand to not have to worry about new vinyl given how poor most modern music really is the cost out ways the reward..........

[@garrold7123]

Literally. It's absolutely awful. All Bowie records especially have rised up from 25 to 39€

[@timmorin2304]

I wish people would stop calling them Vinyl. It's so trendy now. Their called records...albums...lp's

[@Andersljungberg]

Before, they tried to produce a new format that would have copy protection, now they have got the vinyl disc that does not need any copy protection. And they can charge well. without worrying too much about the vinyl being copied to the computer. and do you want to chill or develop into a premium product

[@RobertQuant]

I burn cds 💿 all the time with records u can do that 😅😅😅 and cds 💿 u can take them anywhere

[@Andersljungberg]

Then surely the vinyl record has an opportunity for a record company to charge more for the music? it would be interesting to see the profit margin per vinyl disc in relation to per cd disc. and from, unlike the 70-80s or 90s, the record companies probably don't have to be so worried about us now records being copied onto cassette tapes. and that people Copy vinyl records to the computer and publish them on Torrent pages is probably not that common either? . the record companies expect and perhaps also that people who want vinyl records are prepared to pay more. That it's kind of vinyl lovers

[@jerryspann8713]

But people who collect CDs or prefer CDs to vinyl shouldn't be punished because retailers refuse to stock CDs.

[@stevehobday]

i cant believe it takes 9 months to recieve a batch of vinyl . i get my vinyl records within 9 to 10 weeks . thats with test pressings also . it costs me £ 1,900 per batch

[@NowSpinningMagazine]

Thank you for this video - this is a subject I am monitoring myself each week and this is very useful. Would you like to be a guest on my podcast? Phil

[@soundmatters]

Hey Phil. Thanks for watching. Drop me an email on [e-mail] and we'll see if we can sort something out. Cheers!

[@stchman]

Why, because right now it is the "cool" thing to do and they're making money off this new hip coolness. And no, vinyl records don't sound better.

[@creates100]

Because hipsters are driving up demand. It's out of my price range and it doesn't matter to me. Cds sound better anyway

[@jerryspann8713]

Until the vinyl surge causes the CD to dissappear. Then what. My local walmart has 5 CDS and hundreds of vinyl just sitting there. No one is buying this overpriced garbage. The same records have sit there for 2 years and no one is buying, yet the price just keeps going up.

[@whssy]

Quite simply, supply/demand and consumers' FOMO.

[@williamr3840]

They need to focus on quality control -- which seems barely existent. Also, many producers of vinyl know that the batches going out are faulty, but they don't care. On top of that, they don't seem to know enough about pressing vinyl. Record shops seem to be fully aware and resigned to all these issues, yet faulty, expensive pressings are being willfully and knowingly passed on to the customer with maybe the hope that they won't notice, or if they do won't bother with the hassle of having to return them.

[@AnalogueOctober]

Not every record shop resigns themselves to any obvious or known issues. If there is an issue, a good record shop is on it straight away, and will bend over backwards to rectify.

[@jerryspann8713]

The issue is not the record shop and making it right. The issue is crap vinyl pressings that sometimes will not even fit on the turntable because the center hole is not big enough and sharp edges that can slice fingers. Yet, you sheeple keep buying this outdated garbage and force CD collectors to have to order everything online and wait days before they can enjoy their music.

[@williamr3840]

@@jerryspann8713 Nope. I've been putting in complaints with the labels themselves -- to give these pressing-cowboys a boot up their lazy backsides. Also devising an award for the labels most frequently putting out defective product -- with the winner being reported to the trading standards commission. If you want something done, you've got to do it yourself! :0)

[@rael2099]

Scalpers are the ones benefitting of this chaos. Limited pressings immediately hogged and resold at higher prices. I'm not buying any more records right now. I will wait until things improve or just quit the hobby again. I'm sure that the sales numbers won't be that good next time.

[@jayvalentine2046]

Yeah cool man push all the collectors away keep gouging prices till you no longer have a market greed is disgusting

[@tomsherwood4650]

Greed? How about, niche market. There are no platinum records or maybe even gold records anymore, Single records are not mass produced by the millions. Like before CDs. They will never sell as much as their heyday. Plus higher costs to make them. The vintage previously owned records are not expensive unless you talk specific minority of issues. It is pretty simple, and no one is making them to give away for free. I do tend to avoid new issues partly because of the costs, but that is the current economy and priorities.

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

The prices will crash when the fad wears off and the demand isn't there anymore just like everything it's driven by supply and demand. You can also thank the governments of the world for their hysteria and complete overreaction to covid, were now starting to see the impact of shutting the world down. I haven't bought an LP for 18 months, prices are outrageous shipping is outright ridiculous to Australia

[@JJ-qs9hu]

Ok maybe I'm wrong here but based on wages being paid to an average worker, the cost of an album (vinyl) really isn't anymore than they were in 1989. Let me explain. In 1989 minimum wage was $3.80 an hour in my state of the US. An LP cost between 7.99 to 12.99 depending on what store you shopped at. So it took at least two to three hours of work to afford to buy one. Now fast forward 30+ years and minimum wage in my state is 13.00 an hour. Albums range in price from $19.99 to $42.00 once again depending where you shop so once again it still takes two to three hours of work to buy one. If you do the math the price is still the same. If you can't do the math in your head find someone to explain it

[@PainInTheS]

Naaah, stay that way.....meanwhile I'm picking up cd's by the boatloads for dirtcheap. 🤣🤣🤣

[@jerryspann8713]

Just purchased 15 like new CDs for $5

[@RobertQuant]

They have to be used 😅😅 new cds 💿 cost more

[@PainInTheS]

@@RobertQuant Mix....I order lots of cd's new, or buy in the store and same with used, order online and also buy in stores...not that expensive, vinyl is way more expensive, which was the other way around decades ago, weird how that goes 🤣. And yes, definitely used too, I visit like 10 record/cd fairs a year, also buying mixed new/used there but mostly used, having a beer and a bite....and another....and another....and having a good day with friends. The big one is coming up next month....actually the biggest in the world (Den Bosch, Netherlands). Two halls full of vendors. It's so big that you actually can't see all in one day. I kind of skip our local dealers, whom I see at most other fairs and go for the international dealers who have a fifferent offering lots of times. Lots of German dealers, they usually have real good stuff for me. Google 'Mega Record & CD fair Brabanthallen 's Hertogenbosch' for an impression of the big one. If you visit it be sure to bring a fat wallet 😁.

[@mauriceclemens3286]

As long as record companies can get big money for records they will charge outrageous prices. American capitalism at its worst.😡😡😡

[@jerryspann8713]

There greed is so bad that they are charging $20 for a 7 inch single.

[@iansmithpersonal]

Sorry to say it, but it sounds like you've fallen for the bullshit the record labels have put out to justify gouging what they see as a captive market, just like the supermarkets (announcing before Xmas they were doing everything possible to help customers with the cost of living crisis, before announcing last week that although sales had fallen their profits had risen by a record amount). If Olly Murs record label can put out a no.1 album on vinyl, as he did four weeks ago, that sells for £25 and also includes the full CD version AND a signed cardboard 13" poster with protective sleeve and a picture inner sleeve then how come he can do it and not lose money with all these other factors that the labels are trying to use to justify their never-ending greed? Answer: his record label aren't greedy and are happy with a reasonable profit instead of price gouging what they see as a captive market peopled by gullible idiots with more money than sense. Next month Slade release a 10 x 7" singles box collection with an exclusive promo record and a very nice box for £30 but in the same week we've seen a picture disc of David Bowie's "Aladdin Sane" announced at FORTY FIVE POUNDS (does ANYBODY seriously think this costs much more than a few quid to produce and could be sold at £10 and still make a profit?) and a "deluxe" version of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of The Moon" which has HALF the music the previous "Immersion" deluxe release had, NONE of the videos that release had, but is being sold at THREE TIMES the price (£250 for one album - talk about taking the piss out of gullible, stupid fans!) I nearly purchased the new Nik Kershaw deluxe limited vinyl set which seemed a bargain at £40 for three lps in a nice set - again proof other record labels are being greedy and screwing over customers. But then I saw the exact same music could be bought on 3 CDs from Amazon for £5! People need to wake up and smell the coffee. The major labels are killing vinyl through greed and serious over-pricing. I for one am avoiding purchases now and many others are doing the same. The record labels will reap what they sow.

[@ergloo6660]

Typical click bait, do your homework As a retired investment manager I created a "portfolio" of 2000 albums, including new audiophile, used classic rock, new jazz, old jazz, new records in different genres etc this enables me to create a market index similar to the way a mutual fund is priced. Prices have been stagnant since May/June this year they are currently falling by 0.15% (on average) per day with the occasional uptick. The peak may be past There have already been some significant market corrections. The only sectors to have maintained value are the pure audiophile records i.e. Analogue Productions. A market shows reality, manufacturers live on the buyers wishful thinking and wallets

[@gotham61]

Records are not expensive unless you're comparing them to something like streaming. In 1978 a full price new LP was $7.98. When adjusted for inflation, that's $38 today. The same comparison between past prices and today's hold up over several decades. It's only because people today are used to getting their music for free, that records seem expensive. 45 years ago when I was a student, we would save up for weeks to be able to afford a single LP.

[@soundmatters]

I think a lot of that feeling of things being more expensive might be more related to the cost of living and perhaps most wages not keeping up with inflation. Lower buying power for most average folks.

[@jerryspann8713]

Once again I will say it to make hopefully make you understand that it has not one damn thing to do with inflation, but the greed of the music industry.

[@Licoricedisc]

Vinyl is not any more expensive now than it was in the 1960s. Where have you been the past 3 years? Do you know how much gas, food, rent or anything else has risen? You expect records to stay the same price when it costs more and more to make them? Lowering the cost of records has nothing to do with the record industry and everything to do with the purposeful inflation that the US and other countries around the world are forcing on the masses. A record in 1966 cost $3.60 on average. Inflation has risen OVER 800% from 1966 to 2022.... that record would now cost about $30. Not taken into consideration is that in 1966 many, many more millions of records were made and at a lower level of quality that what is produced now... so the profit margin now is much, much less.... while still selling for close to the same price.

[@jerryspann8713]

If you adjusted for inflation you'd be paying $70 for CDs not $5. Your inflation argument doesn't work. Nice try hipster.

[@VinylPro]

what expensive ! the production costs with packaging are just 80 US dollar cents ($0.80)... the rest is greediness of distributors and producers....

[@stationminute]

10:58 Crate invader! 😠

[@markcarrington8565]

Have you used an inflation calculator to test your theory that vinyl is expensive? According to the Bank of England, £10 in 1990 is worth £22.76 today. So are you saying records are more expensive than they were in the past or just complaining that £25 for a new record is a lot next to the streaming services that do virtually nothing for the artists?

[@jerryspann8713]

If you adjusted for inflation you'd be paying $70 for CDs not $5. Your inflation argument doesn't work. Nice try hipster.

[@markcarrington8565]

@@jerryspann8713 CDs were about £16 in the UK in 1990. So about £35 today. Yep, CDs are a bargain.

[@johncameron6289]

It’s a scam on a giant scale!

[@lordspucke8938]

too much talk...less info..sorry I am out