The vinyl resurgence continues – last year's sales broke a 40-year record

We only have to look at the interest in the best turntables to know just how well the resurgence in vinyl records is going, but to rubber stamp it, revenue figures in the US alone hit a 40-year high in 2024.

The yearly report by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has revealed (via Engadget) that while streaming through the likes of Spotify and Apple Music accounted for 84% of all revenue accrued, 11% was made up by physical purchases. And of the $2 billion that amounts to, $1.4 billion of it was made through vinyl sales.

That's a staggering comeback for a sector of the market that was nigh-on dead and buried at the turn of the century. The RIAA states that 44 million vinyl albums were sold in the US last year.

It's even more impressive considering this only accounts for new vinyl sales, not second-hand.

The UK's Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA) reports similar statistics in the country, with the market for vinyl growing by 10.5% last year. The BBC writes that 6.7 million records were sold in Britain and Northern Ireland in the 12 months, generating £196 million.

That's great news for collectors and music lovers alike. Subscription services are great for accessibility, especially the Hi-Res Audio streamers, like Qoboz and Tidal, but there's nothing quite like taking an LP out of a fresh or lovingly worn sleeve and spinning it on a top-notch deck.

And if the current trend continues, we can look forward to more new releases appearing in our shops – not just reissues and remasters. Hopefully, it'll drive the prices for new vinyl down too.

That being said, please make sure you visit your local record shop regularly and check out their pre-used stock. I've had many an amazing find myself in recent times, while it also helps ensure their future.

We're all in it for the long game, after all.