The Vinyl Comeback: Are Young People Buying Records?

Vinyl has had a resurgence and it's apparently not because of those much-maligned millennial hipsters buying albums from Urban Outfitters. Data from a YouGov Profiles poll "suggests that records' resurgence is rooted in middle-aged nostalgia."

The poll found that the age bracket most likely to have purchased a vinyl album recently was 45-54. The young folks, aged 18-24 years, were the least likely. The United Kingdom-based research firm found that 66 percent of vinyl buyers "could not get through [the] day without listening to music" compared to 49 percent of the U.K. population at large. One-third of record buyers described listening to music "whenever they can" compared to 25 percent of adults overall.

It's a bit predictable, but those willing to spend on vinyl were, across the board, more into music than the general population. Most said they enjoyed seeing their favorite artists live and nearly 60 percent condemned illegally downloading music. Twenty-one percent of vinyl buyers said they're happy to pay to support their favorite artists, compared with just 9 percent of the general population.

Entire worlds of music are available for free, or for relatively cheap prices, through streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal. But those who love vinyl are apparently looking for the entire experience that medium offers.

"While digital platforms provide fans instant and unlimited access to an ever-expanding cosmos of music, they can’t quite match the unique experience vinyl gives you — browsing for rare gems in your favorite record store, pouring over the cover art and sleeve notes and enjoying the ritual of carefully dropping the stylus onto an LP and savoring its analog sound," said Geoff Taylor, chief executive of the British Phonographic Industry, according to the U.K.'s Yorkshire Post.

The vinyl nostalgia has grown for about a decade. Sales have risen each of the last ten years and in 2015 they rose by 30 percent, according to Forbes. Record Store Day, which promotes buying vinyl at local indie shops has been around for nine years now and awaited by record-buyers all year.

And Friday, by the way, is National Vinyl Record Day in the U.S. — so all you 45 to 54-year-olds out there drop the needle and enjoy the nostalgia.