As technology has progressed, the amount of devices we tend to carry around has gone down. While we used to have a phone, CD player or MP3 player, and camera on us at any given time, we can manage to consume all of our favorite media from just our cell phones now. 

 

But that doesn’t mean that physical music has gone away. While CD sales have gone down as portable CD players and disc ports have nearly vanished in cars and laptops, there’s still room for the vinyl record. 

A study released is showing how CDs and vinyls have sold over time. The CD reigned supreme in 2013, bringing in over $2 billion in revenue. But over time, sales began to decline and vinyl sales started to inch upward. Between 2019 and 2020, the two forms of physical music crossed paths and vinyl record sales surpassed CD sales in 2020. This was the first time vinyl record sales topped CD sales since 1986. 

 

The pandemic may have been a huge reason for the comeback of vinyl. With many stuck at home, the need to revamp rooms and turn their living spaces into trendy spots made perfect sense for the record player to secure a place on the shelf. 

 

With vinyl records back in mainstream media, it’s paved the way for many new artists to capitalize on the trend. While streaming is the most common means of modern day music consumption, fans still crave those collectors items to have and display, making a perfect place for vinyl records in today’s music consumption.