According to Dutch public broadcaster NOS, a quarter of Dutch young people aged 15 to 34 purchased both vinyl and CDs last year. In doing so, they’re keeping the physical music medium alive.
It’s a bit paradoxical: young people embracing media from the past. Yet, as NOS reports, one in four individuals within the broadly defined age group of 15 to 34 bought vinyl records and CDs. At the same time, this same group mainly discovers new music through streaming services and social media. A bright spot for NOS is that traditional radio still plays a significant role in music discovery as well.
Physical aspect
The fact that young people apparently crave something tangible is, according to research by Dutch industry body NVPI, tied to the digitalization of society. The physical aspect is missing, they say, and that absence is precisely what’s driving younger audiences at the moment. That said, older people are also still buying physical music: among those aged 50 to 64, one in five Dutch people still purchase physical media. Quite remarkable in this digital age — and at the very least, it helps keep traditional record stores alive.
In other countries, there’s also been a steady rise in demand for vinyl, cassettes, and now CDs as well.