Crosstown Vinyl, one of many independent record stores sell various secondhand vinyl records with genres including classic rock, jazz and indie. These shops – along with other factors – have contributed to a resurgence of the popularity of buying record albums.
From the 40s to the 70s, vinyl records were once the most popular medium for listening to music.
New inventions made music more compact and convenient. In 1979, the Sony Walkman overtook vinyl. In the 1990s, portable CD players and MP3s became popular followed by the iPod in the 2000s.
The launch of Spotify in 2008, preceded by Apple Music in 2011, began the streaming era of the 2010s.
However, vinyl began its comeback in 2008.
“At the time, we thought this town needed a dedicated record store that carried more indie, punk and just some under-the-surface type stuff,” said Dan Nissen, owner of Total Drag, a record store in Sioux Falls, along with his wife, Liz Nissen.
In the early 2010s, Nissen noticed a demand for vinyls and opened their doors almost 11 years ago in 2014, just as vinyl’s popularity returned.
“It makes more sense for bands to press their (music) on vinyl because people want it on vinyl,” Nissen said. “A lot of cool issues of records that were impossible to find until now…I think it was starting to come back in certain bigger cities, even when we opened in 2014, and I think it’s just been a slow increase [since then].
In 2007, independent record store owners and employees created “Record Store Day,” to sell exclusive and limited edition records. It became a national celebration of record store culture.
Record Store Day honors customers, staff, and artists—those who make record stores meaningful to their communities.
Today, about 1,400 independently owned record stores take part. Many sell special vinyl and CD releases.
This year, Record Store Day was April 12.
Nissen said it was a success for Total Drag.
“It was crazy,” Nissen said. “By the time we opened at 8 a.m., the line was around [the] block.”
There’s also “Black Friday Record Store Day,” held annually. This year it’s on Nov. 29.
“They added kind of a second Record Store Day, which happens on Black Friday,” Nissen said. “And it’s maybe not as many releases, but it’s equally as huge.”
CDs are still sold in stores, but vinyl is outselling them.
In 2022, the Recording Industry Association of America reported vinyl outsold CDs in the U.S. for the first time since 1987. That year, 41 million vinyl albums were sold, compared to 33 million CDs. In 2023, vinyl led again—43 million vs. 37 million.
Retailers like Target and Walmart have taken notice of this. Both now offer vinyl sections.
They even sell exclusive colored vinyl records of various artists like Taylor Swift and Nirvana.
Swift’s album, “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology,” was sold as a CD and an exclusive vinyl at Target. It became the top-selling album of 2024, according to Statista.
The record includes four translucent, marbled discs and an exclusive poster. The CD cost $17.99, and the vinyl $59.99–before it sold out.
Record album’s return has also brought higher prices. Billboard reported vinyl prices in the U.S. rose 25.5% between 2017 and 2023. Labor shortages, material costs, and post-COVID delays were the main reasons.
While many buy from big retailers, a Luminate year-end report of vinyl album sales from 2016-2023 showed that out of 100 million sales, 45% of vinyl albums were from independent record stores.
Steve Zastrow, owner of Crosstown Vinyl in Sioux Falls since 2015, notices the price gap between major chains and secondhand vinyl.
“Right now…people are real nervous about the economy,” Zastrow said. “Used secondhand stuff can actually thrive during those times because, I mean, are you gonna go up to Target to pay 25, 30 bucks for that record? You come in here, and buy it for three or four (dollars) for that.”
Nissen says he carries mainstream vinyl, but focuses on independent artists.
“I think…what’s most important, and a lot of the best music, in our opinion, is not necessarily on mainstream radio,” Nissen said. “Supporting artists, especially indie artists, is what I focus on.”
He also said hosting all-ages shows matters to both his store and the Sioux Falls community.
“That was really lacking at the time in this town, a place for people under the age of 21 to see live music,” Nissen said. “Which is super important for a scene to thrive and flourish.”
Zastrow also said he has been collecting records for 51 years, starting at ten years old.
“I’ve always been a record collector,” Zastrow said. “I thought I’d be open one year and that would be that, [but] I’m very fortunate that we’re still here.”
Both store owners say that customers range from younger first-time buyers to lifelong collectors. Zastrow says classic rock and jazz are his best sellers.
A customer at Crosstown Vinyl, Jerret Strong, who is a senior manager and sponsor fulfillment at the Professional Bull Riders Inc., has collected records for years and tries to add more to his music library when he can.
“I travel with the professional bull riders and every city I go to across the United States, I will seek out record stores and look to find those great records that I don’t have in my collection,” Strong said.
He also said “A Fifth of Beethoven” by Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band was the first to enter his collection.
“I remember [it was] the first record I ever bought, I was probably nine or ten,” Strong said.
While browsing 45s in the store, Strong found the record and asked Zastrow to play it.
So, is vinyl here to stay?
“I mean people will come and go from it,” Nissen said. “But just like anything, people get into something. I think physical media is really important to a lot of people.”
Claire Booth, a junior journalism major from SDSU, shares the same sentiment.
“I think a lot more people should get into collecting vinyl because it’s just like a fun, smaller community [for talking about] and enjoying music.” Booth said. “Everyone can really learn something from that.”
