Vinyl sales are still on the rise. But a significant share of buyers purchase records as decoration—especially Gen Z.
We came across an interesting article on CNN about Gen Z buying vinyl mainly to look at. It notes that record buyers are far from being only boomers reliving their youth, or audiophiles who swear by the analog medium. No—Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2012, is also crazy about vinyl. Just not to listen to it.
Instead, LPs (and especially their covers) are used as wall décor. At the same time, as many as 60 percent of this group say they buy records—and a striking 40 percent of all vinyl buyers in the U.S. don’t even own a turntable.
According to CNN, much of vinyl’s resurgence can be credited to Taylor Swift, who actively promotes her albums as artistic collectibles. That approach has clearly resonated, at least with Gen Z and a significant portion of American record buyers. The collected records are often hung on walls and regularly swapped out to refresh a trendy interior. With a record, it seems, you can do just about anything.