The popularity of vinyl records is back: what kind of vinyl is relevant among music lovers today?
Vinyl in fashion today, and this is an indisputable fact. For the first time in many decades, there has been a fantastic increase in record sales around the world! This is the first time in history that sales LP surpassed CD sales and this happened in 2020, within literally one month ... In general, vinyl sales have been growing inexorably for the past 13 years old! And it seems that this trend is not going to stop at all ... Hollywood films convey it very well: in almost every motion picture, now and then flash in the frame "pinwheel" and records with amazing covers! In a word - beauty ... In general, the so-called "retromania". What is it caused by? It's hard to answer. It would seem that the era of vinyl is long gone, and such things as an electric record player can get attention from outside ... well, maybe collectors. However, no matter how! Perhaps people are tired of the huge variety of digital content and want to consume information more thoughtfully ... Or maybe people are just tired of modern formats and want to surround themselves with "pieces" of the retro era. Be that as it may, the most sensitive question in the current situation remains the question - “What kind of vinyl is in demand today?” And today we will try to give the most detailed answer to it!
Who cares about vinyl in the 21st century?
First, let's get acquainted with the consumer base. According to the data presented by various stores, on average these are men from 25 to 35 years. However, this is only 50% "retroman". The other fifty percent include older people, as well as students, DJs, dedicated music lovers, and even (albeit very rarely) schoolchildren. In a word - in our time, the most "motley audience" that loves music is interested in vinyl. Before, in the 2010s, it was usually students and young people up to 30 years. However, with the growth of the dollar, the situation changed somewhat ... There were fewer young people: students had to either be content with LP cheaper and, accordingly, simpler, or save up for a certain record ... But what exactly are the requests of modern "retroman"? Oddly enough, the most common from Pink Floyd before the Beatles. Actually, let's talk about this in more detail ...
What vinyl is popular today?
So what kind of vinyl is popular today? It is safe to say that this is classic rock: Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, The Beatles and stuff like that… No less relevant are the novelties of rock masters: for example, the album of the ex-Beatle Paul McCartney "McCartney III" sold out over 30 thousand copies per week (and this is only in the territory USA!) This is the highest to date, and the third highest since the beginning 90s years...
At the same time, the most popular vinyl artists remain The Beatles and Pink Floyd.
Having caught the trend, contemporary artists are also starting to release their albums in LP format, and they are successfully flying off the shelves! A good example is a record fine line British songwriter and performer Harry Styles:
Groups like Queen and Nirvana, are also highly regarded by "retro fans": their albums firmly hold the lead in the list of best-selling records. It is worth noting that after the release of the film «Bohemian Rhapsody» Queen's sales growth on vinyl has increased significantly...
The main criteria for "popularity"
But besides specific names, there are some aspects that are very important for a vinyl record collector, such as: the year of publication, the limited edition, the global demand for the artist, as well as the condition of the product and even the label (yes, the label! So, Columbia Records, Parlophon and Vertigo remain favorites among collectors). Let's discuss some aspects in more detail!
Among fans of music (and in particular vinyl) limited edition is very much appreciated. For example, let's take "Bohemian Rhapsody / I'm In Love With My Car" groups Queen: the story of this record goes back to the hot summer of 1978... It was then that the British label EMI celebrated receiving an honorary award Queen's Award to Industry for Export Achievement! One of the memorable souvenirs that were presented at the celebration was the limited single Queen, decorated in bright warm colors ... The circulation did not exceed 200 copies! Of course, the record has become insanely rare and insanely expensive - 5,000 pounds!
Another criterion that is highly valued in musical circles is the presence of a personal autograph of a musician! Over time, such a record turns into a real story, and its price, again, can be crazy ... As an example, consider Double Fantasy by John Lennon and Yoko Ono: this is one of the most valuable and expensive autographed records in the world! $850,000 — how do you like it? Of course, not everyone can afford such copies, but there is a demand for them, and it is really big. Yes, at sunset 90s she went under the hammer $150,000!
Its insane value lies not only in the autograph, but also in the fingerprints of Lennon's killer - Mark Chapman.
