Vinyl records are popular again, but it’s not just audiophiles or nostalgic boomers fueling the resurgence.
Gen Z is playing an outsized role in the revival of vinyl sales, which have grown on average by 18% annually in the past five years. About 60% of Gen Z say they buy records, according to Futuresource Consulting’s Audio Tech Lifestyles report.
But Gen Z isn’t necessarily buying records for their unique sound. Around 40% of record buyers in the United States don’t own a turntable, noted James Duvall, principal analyst and head of entertainment at Futuresource Consulting.
Fifty-six percent of Gen Z fans like vinyl for its aesthetic, while 37% use it as home decor, according to a Vinyl Alliance survey. It’s part of what Jared Watson, an assistant professor of marketing at New York University, calls “symbolic consumption.”
“It could show that you’re a bigger fan or that you appreciate the artist more,” he noted, adding that albums are “affordable art.”
The vinyl resurgence can largely be traced back to Taylor Swift, who has promoted her albums as artsy collectibles, sometimes including additional songs, posters or poems for her dedicated fanbase.
And her variants are each “a different piece of the story” she curates, which has “raised the bar for everyone,” like singers Lana Del Rey and Olivia Rodrigo, said Jeffrey Smith, vice president of marketing at Discogs.com, a database and marketplace for physical music.
Five of Swift’s albums were among the top 10 most sold vinyl albums last year in the US, according to entertainment insight group Luminate’s 2024 report.
That included “The Tortured Poets Department,” which sold 1.48 million copies, according to Luminate, and “Midnights,” which sold 188,000 copies. Swift currently sells four variants of “Midnights” on her US website. When the backs of the four are put together, they arrange to form a clock face.
Erin Davila, a 28-year-old from Orlando, Florida, said she may buy one Swift variant but ultimately prefers records with the traditional album cover.
Davila began collecting records in high school, when collecting was popular on social media blogging site Tumblr.
“The physical record was almost like a trophy of all of the music that you love, just sitting on your shelf,” she said.
Davila has set alarms for Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and Kacey Musgraves’ vinyl releases, while her husband, Peyton, set an alarm for The Weeknd’s vinyl release. Their combined collection totals almost 1,000 records.
The Davilas are among the young adults who post on social media to share their vinyl collection and the rotation of records that hang on their wall.
Dexter Phuong, a 25-year-old content creator and social media coordinator in North Carolina, similarly uses vinyl as wall decoration, swapping albums based on the season. During the fall, he may put up Swift’s “Red” or a Phoebe Bridgers variant that suits the season’s orange and green aesthetic.
Phuong says he has nearly every Lana Del Rey vinyl, including an estimated 10 variants of her latest album.
“I actually don’t listen to the variants much unless they have a bonus song on them,” he told CNN. “I’ll typically save those as art.”
Zoomers enjoy little indulgences — whether that’s an expensive latte, clothing or a concert ticket, said NYU’s Watson. It’s largely because major milestones — like buying a house or getting married — have been delayed, so young adults look for gratification elsewhere, he said.
“There’s this idea to say, ‘Why can’t we treat ourselves today with smaller awards?’ That’s where we see a rise in the collectibles market,” he said.
Some are spending more time comparing prices from various sellers or increasingly shopping at local record stores in search of the best deal. A local record store could save them from the retail price of a vinyl record, which averages $33, but could be as high as $70 for limited edition releases.
That includes Tony Baker, a 27-year-old in Orlando, who said he will buy any record for the right price and “figure out the rest later.” He purchased Toni Braxton’s self-titled album for $100, which is the most he’s willing to pay right now.
Baker recently posted a vinyl haul on TikTok featuring more than 20 albums, with prices as high as $42.
According to Smith of Discogs, a nearly perfect-condition record sells on the site for around $15 on average, or 45% below the retail price.
“Going in and buying a record and digging into the marketplace, finding something that’s upwards of 70% off, could be a huge win,” Smith said.
Whether they play the record or not, Watson said Gen Z tends to find sentimental value in thrifting records that have an “essence” of being owned previously and the environmental benefit of avoiding overconsumption.
Peyton Davila, the Orlando vinyl collector, compared buying records at local stores for as low as $5 to thrifting for clothes.
“You’re just being more sustainable and not contributing to all the excess that we have of these albums that are over-pressed,” he said.
