Vinyl revival

[8] The analogue format made of polyvinyl chloride had been the main vehicle for the commercial distribution of pop music from the 1950s until the 1980s when it was largely replaced by the cassette tape and then the compact disc (CD).

However in the midst of this vinyl record sales were increasing and was growing at a quick rate by the early 2010s, eventually reaching levels not seen since the late 1980s in some territories.

"[16] The revival has been relatively muted in certain other countries like Japan and Germany – the world's second and third largest music markets after the U.S.[17] – where CDs continue to outsell records by a significant margin as of 2022.

[18][19] In June 2017, Sony Music announced that by March 2018 it would be producing vinyl records in-house for the first time since ceasing its production in 1989.

[21] In China, which has grown rapidly in recent years to become one of the world's largest music markets,[22] the last vinyl record production plant located in Shanghai stopped in 1998.

Despite it being only half that of CD sales, it matches a similar amount of market revenue due to the higher retail prices of vinyl.

The CD format was regarded as "uncool", while vinyl records could be beatmatched into each other more easily and had more room for album cover art.

[35][34] Concurrently, popular musicians including Sakanakushon, AKB48, Perfume, and Masaharu Fukuyama began releasing their music for vinyl distribution.

[35] Technology brands such as Sony Electronics and Panasonic released revived models of gramophone record players, starting in 2016.

[34] From the mid-2010s decade, vinyl records have enjoyed renewed popularity, with specialized shops opening in Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Ginza.

[36] Popular artists such as Perfume and Back Number have led the way for vinyl revival, and CD sales have declined by 35% from 2008 to 2018.

[20] In January 2017, the BPI's 'Official UK recorded music market report for 2016', using Official Charts Company data, noted that "Though still niche in terms of its size within the overall recorded music market, vinyl enjoyed another stellar year, with over 3.2 million LPs sold – a 53 per cent rise on last year".

[43] BBC Radio 4's Front Row discussed the increase in coloured vinyl releases in October 2017 in the wake of recent albums in the format by Beck, Liam Gallagher, and St.

[45] In March 2023, the BPI published an analysis of Official Charts data, and claimed that vinyl purchases have increased for a 16th consecutive year in the UK.

[46] In 2024, BBC reported that, for the first time since 1992, vinyl records have been included in the set of goods used by the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS) to track prices and calculate the rate of inflation.

The major label distributors restricted their return policies, which retailers had been relying on to maintain and swap out stocks of relatively unpopular titles.

Record companies also deleted many vinyl titles from production and distribution, further undermining the availability of the format and leading to the closure of pressing plants.

[51] But ever since 2007, the popularity of vinyl records has risen again with annual sales increasing by 85.8% between 2006 and 2007 in the United States, although starting from a low base,[52] and by 89% between 2007 and 2008.

[59] By 2019, vinyl sales continued healthy growth at the expense of other physical media and despite the growing prominence of streaming,[3] presently the cheapest (legal) way to listen to music.

Indie retailers sold almost half of all vinyl LPs, while Taylor Swift was the format's top-selling artist, accounting for 2.6% of total sales.

[71] Records are also tactile, physical, collectable items that offer a drastically different listening experience than the ubiquitous streaming services.

[73] According to Adriaan Neervoort, owner of Wanted Music, in Beckenham, Kent, "Vinyl has a more engaging human sound, it comes beautifully packaged.

[138] Record Store Day was officially founded in 2007[137] and is celebrated globally[137] with hundreds of recording and other artists participating in the day by making special appearances, performances, meet and greets with their fans, the holding of art exhibits, and the issuing of special vinyl and CD releases along with other promotional products to mark the occasion.

The chart's launch was first announced by the OCC on 17 April 2012[144] – at the time, British record stores were selling 4.5 million albums per year, and were contributing towards 95 per cent of the country's total vinyl sales.

Arguments are made based on the rules of language, and whether "vinyls" could be a proper way of referring to records in the plural.