According to the Recording Industry Association of America, people bought 43 million vinyl records in 2023, surpassing 2022 sales by more than 6 million and accounting for record revenue of $1.4 billion, compared to $537,000 in CD purchases.

The number of vinyl record aficionados who swarmed into their favorite stores for Record Store Day (April 21) and Record Store Weekend (April 20-21) eclipsed nearly all expectations, according to a sampling of six record store owners who pre-ordered hundreds — or in some instances thousands — of special vinyl-exclusive recordings in anticipation of the event.  

“I’ve been in business for 48 years, and this weekend was the best for business we have ever had,” said Jean Haffner, owner of Record Exchange, located at 5320 Hampton Avenue in St. Louis. “Business was nonstop from early Saturday morning until (late Sunday afternoon).” 

Both outside and inside the vast Record Exchange, which boasts more than 10,000 square feet of media and one of the largest vinyl collections in the U.S., dozens of customers could be seen browsing bins stuffed with 12-inch vinyl LP’s extended-play remixes, and 7-inch vinyl singles while bobbing their heads to the beat of a local deejay on the afternoon of Sunday, April 21.  

The growing success of the annual weekend event at Record Exchange and other vinyl retailers served to underscore a recent report by the Recording Industry Association of America that showed vinyl music recordings outsold compact discs and other music media for the second consecutive year in 2023, reversing a 35-year sales trend. According to the RIAA, people bought 43 million vinyl records in 2023, surpassing 2022 sales by more than 6 million and accounting for record revenue of $1.4 billion, compared to $537,000 in CD purchases. All in all, vinyl record sales have increased by 1,000 percent between 2013 and 2023.  

During a 30-hour, four-city, six record store tour of select southern Illinois and St. Louis record stores, Chronicle Media set out to find out why, more than 100 years after its public debut, the vinyl record is once again the preferred choice of music media among U.S. consumers.  

Smart vinyl shoppers flocked to Springfield’s Dumb Records 

Dumb Records co-owner Brian Galecki posted Facebook photos of diehard vinyl fans camped out in

The line of people awaiting the 8 a.m. opening of Dumb Records in Springfield for Record Store Day 2024 numbered around 150 at its peak. Shoppers were in the queue to be the first to purchase special, limited-edition vinyl records issued only for RSD 2024. (Photo by Tim Alexander/For Chronicle Media)

front of the store, located at 418 E. Monroe St. in downtown Springfield, as early as 8:30 p.m. on Friday, April 19, Record Store Day Eve. The store opened at 8 a.m. the following morning. At 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, a small line of people still protruded just outside the doors of the midsized shop, which opened in 2014 as an extension of the Black Sheep Cafe, an all ages DIY punk venue. 

“We have participated in RSD in some form since we opened, and it keeps getting bigger every year,” said Galecki. “In our case, we’ve always sold more vinyl than we do CDs. Everyone had their own reasons for collecting vinyl; some will argue that the sound is better, some will say that (records) are cooler to hold and look at than CDs. Some people have reasons for collecting CDs over vinyl, with CDs being cheaper these days. 

“There’s a thrill in collecting physical media in general. For me, when going to record stores and flipping through the bins I find that you are going to find things (on vinyl) that you weren’t going to find in other formats. But everyone has their different reasons for collecting vinyl.” 

Like many young record buyers of today, Galecki experiences nostalgia for vinyl records, having grown up with parents who listened to their own music via the medium. “I remember when my dad was throwing his records out,” he said, incredulously. “I was in college and home for the weekend and I found them in a garbage bag out by the trash bin. This didn’t feel right to me, and I took them. These were the first few albums that I had, I guess.”  

With new and reissued vinyl record LPs selling from $26 to $36 at retail, pursuit of the hobby does not come cheaply for consumers. However, vinyl aficionados point to 12-inch records’ newfound durability (remember the old “floppy” albums of the early 80’s that were prone to skipping and warping?) and enhanced audiophile sound quality to justify the higher cost of the LP compared to the CD.  

“As a record store owner, I am trying to find deals and not overprice our records. I don’t know if I see the price coming down, or the vinyl bubble bursting. In general, I think vinyl is here to stay. Maybe prices will flatten some, but I don’t see prices going down a whole lot,” said Galecki, adding that when the smoke clears from the weekend it would likely stand as the store’s most successful RSD to date.  

“There were around 150 people in line this morning, and they just kept coming. They still are,” he said. 

 Pizza Records’ RSD menu included donuts 

Like several other stores we visited on RSD Weekend that offered incentives to attract vinyl buyers, customers of Jacksonville’s Pizza Records, located on the historic town square since 2022, were treated to a morning buffet of pastries and refreshments. It was just another way Pizza Records owners Devin and Heather Smock recognized and rewarded longtime customers for their patronage, while welcoming new ones to their store on RSD 2024. 

“Vinyl was on its way out a couple of decades ago with vinyl and people beginning to listen to iTunes,” said Devin Smock. “RSD started getting people interested in going into record stores again and providing exclusive items for customers to buy. Different artists started pushing vinyl, as well, with people like Jack White (of White Stripes and solo fame) issuing vinyl-only music. Understanding that records provide better quality, he was one of the artists who led the vinyl resurgence, along with Neil Young and others.” 

The Smocks are among those who were soon tired of the processed sound of CDs, which were introduced in the late 1980s, and the limited range and tininess of iTunes, MP3s and other digital music formats of the 1990s and 2000s. To them and millions of others, the high and low ends of the sonic spectrum provided only through the contact between record and needle make vinyl their preferred medium for listening to music.  

“People started getting into the high fidelity of vinyl again,” said Devin, who was greeted by 30 to 40 people waiting in line outside Pizza Records when the store opened at 8 a.m. on RSD. Smock added that many of his customers were seeking a special RSD release by Sabrina Carpenter (“Feather”), a 7-inch vinyl single that turned out to be highly sought-after by customers in many of the stores visited by the Chronicle on RSD weekend. Other popular RSD releases included a collaboration between Olvia Rodrigo and Noah Kahan (“Stick People”) and new material from Pearl Jam (“Dark Matter”).  

Once these special RSD vinyl issues are sold, they become immediate collector’s items in that there are no subsequent pressings or reissues. They cannot be ordered for customers after RSD Weekend unless distributors find themselves holding excess pressings. 

“Once they’re gone, they’re usually gone,” said Heather Smock. “For the Sabrina Carpenter single, there were 2,000 copies made and we were lucky to get just one.” 

 Though vinyl sales booming, stores still offer diverse stock 

Smock said that 95 percent or more of his store’s income is derived from sales of vinyl records. However, Pizza Records (so-named because albums purchased go home with customers in pizza boxes rather than bags) still offers items such as handmade cigar box guitars and other musical instruments, along with concert shirts, lamps and lunchboxes.  

Some smaller record stores, such as Rich’s Record Emporium at 131 W. Main St. in Collinsville, Illinois, seek to diversify their record stock by offering high-end stereo equipment and/or other big-ticket items to help boost profits.  

“Sales of vinyl records pay the bills associated with this business and keep the lights on,” said Mark Cartier, co-owner of Rich’s Record Emporium. “Revenue from sales of stereo equipment such as our turntables, speakers and other components are how we realize a profit.” 

At Vintage Vinyl, located in St. Louis’ famous Delmar Loop neighborhood, RSD customers were also purchasing T-shirts, stickers, tote bags and other music-related paraphernalia and clothing. Inside another store on the Chronicle’s tour, CD Warehouse (11828 Tesson Ferry, St. Louis), tens of thousands of compact discs shared space with an almost equal number of vinyl records. Also up for sale were thousands of used DVDs, books, posters and other music and pop culture memorabilia.  

CD Warehouse owners took advantage of the increased traffic flow to showcase their rarities. A rare, 1966 edition of the Beatles’ “Yesterday and Today” “butchered baby cover” LP was sold for $1,800, while a second, pristine-condition “butchered baby” album was valued at around $6,000. 

Some owners used RSD Weekend to offer special deals on old records, CDs and other merchandise, such as Record Exchange, where a $2 vinyl record tent was elbow to elbow with customers on Sunday afternoon.  

RSD is the largest single-day music event in the world, according to RecordStoreDay.com. It was conceived in 2007 by independent record store owners and employees as a way to celebrate and spread the word about the unique culture surrounding the nearly 2,000 independently owned record stores in the U.S., as well as those in other countries. The first RSD took place on April 19, 2008.