Records sales prove music lovers are fans of vinyl

More and more music fans are spinning vinyl these days and whether it's for the sound or nostalgia, vinyl record sales have surpassed the sales of CDs for the first time since the 1980s.

Vinyl fans say it's about something to collect, hold, the album art, and listening to a complete album -- vinyl touches all the senses.

Last year in 2022, music lovers purchased more than 41 million records, totaling $1.2 billion in sales. That's up 20% from the year before. When adjusted for inflation, record sales have reached their highest point since 1988.

A Hollywood record store owner says his customers range in age from eight years old, to 88 years old. "I had an eight-year-old kid who came in here from San Diego one day, and his father was sitting in the chair, and she pulls up Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon," said Kevin Donan, As the Record Turns owner.

"There is a warmth to the way that it sounds, and there is something nice about the ritual to go over and flip it. We usually listen with friends," said vinyl collector Rick Herron." Before this, I don't think I listened to a whole album in years."

Vinyl prices can range from a few dollars to thousands of dollars. Chris Honetschlaeger, owner of The Record Parlour in Hollywood said he noticed a rediscovery of vinyl during the pandemic. He said his sales are up double digits, year over year.

"I have customers today that I didn't have three years ago, hundreds of customers … collecting things is coming back," said Honetschlaeger.  "And I think having a record, looking at the artwork- the tangibility of a record is quite interesting to people."

Honetschlaeger said records never went away, they just went underground and now they are resurfacing.