For years, we’ve heard about the resurgence of vinyl records which seem to increase in popularity (and sales!) each and every year. At first you might have brushed it off as a trend that you felt would eventually die but then you’d see another story come out seeing that vinyl had once again grown by “X%” in sales over the year prior. It always caught my eye. So did the estimate that 50% of people that purchase vinyl don’t even have a record player. So interesting! It opens up the market for more collectors to buy a record player but then also shows that fans see records as art. Personally, I have 2 full crates of records (I need a new one!) and I don’t own a record player. And believe me, I want to buy a record player but my space isn’t ideal for one now. In due time tho? Yes, I will have that record player spinning my vinyl collection. I think you will too? Regardless, look at record sales since 2010 as reported by Statista.
And while vinyl will get all of the buzz, it’s not just records that are picking up in physical sales. Believe it or not, cassettes are on the rise as well. Now, many of you get why record sales are up because it’s a very fun hobby for those both young and old as the whole experience of picking a record from your collection, pulling the vinyl out, placing it on your record player and dropping the needle is straight butter. If you have friends over and you start playing records I guarantee you’ll have one friend want to buy a record player the next day. But cassettes? It’s definitely more niche and the overall numbers pale in comparison to vinyl but you can’t ignore that artists are now pressing up vinyl but they’re also manufacturing runs of cassettes too. The estimates I’ve seen for cassette sales in 2025 is 600K. Drastically lower than the 10s of millions of vinyl sales each year but projected 600,000 in cassette sales will have tripled since 2020. The pandemic helped fuel the growth without a doubt but the rise hasn’t slowed. Cassettes are buzzing again fam…
But let’s not stop there… How about CD’s? If vinyl continues to explode and we have a resurgence upon us with cassettes, CD’s have to be seeing an uptick too right? Well, it depends who you talk to and where you research. Overall volume of CD sales continue to show a downward trend but check this out… You know Discogs right? If not, Discogs is a place where you can catalog your collection (track every album you own), sell your collection, and go on the hunt for more gems to add to your stash. Well… Discogs is seeing some big increases with the CD’s that collectors are loading onto their site as well as their “Wish List” feature which more and more people are adding CD’s to. And oh yeah, CD sales are up 8% over last year on the music platform. This is all from this article from Washington Post if you want to verify I’m not bullsh*tting you… So yeah…. CD’s are starting to creep yall…. the major retailers know… this is why their CD sections are growing….
So why is this happening? Well…. Streaming services are really cool (they are!) but subscribers are getting digital fatigue. The abundance of new music coming out weekly is hard to keep up with. In rap and hip hop, some artists drop multiple projects in one year. Remember when DMX dropped 2 albums in one year and it was the biggest thing ever? Well, Boldy James probably dropped like 5 projects this year… and they’re all really good…
my point being is this. Too much music is not a good thing. Spending time listening to music you love really is something though. Say you’re a Boldy James fan… You go listen to one of his projects this year but while you’re doing it, somebody texts you… eBay notifies you of a price drop… your grandma facetimes you… you work bothers you… some people you barely know are trying to get all up in your timeline… but wait… I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE LISTENING TO BOLDY JAMES. But now I’m distracted… Now watch this… What if you pulled the plug on that Spotify subscription and saved $15 monthly… More if you’re on the family plan… Alright… you off that membership and start going into a record store… yup… i said it… you research the nearest record store and you step your ass right inside and actually just catch a vibe while there…
On Spotify now, my biggest focus is building out the Best 2025 Rap Playlist which is fire but at the same time, I spend more time chasing bangers than actually just listening to the tracks I already love that have dropped this year. Now… If I happened to love the Clipse album (I do), sure I can listen to it whenever I want on my phone but if I get that vinyl or cassette I officially have the dope in my hands and have officially own a KAWS piece… You see what’s going on here? Gangster collabs with artists of all shapes in sizes have kids learning more about music, more about street art, more about creating as a hobby… that is lovely. Do I own the Clipse album in physical format? I don’t… But will I buy it this weekend when I hit up 3-4 record stores? Yes, I will… That first track is the best song of 2025. It is beautiful music with an amazing message. And the KAWS artwork????
Music fans want something to hold and listening to music on your phone seems rather empty. So music fans are filling the void going to record stores, going thrifting, and just looking for vintage cassettes and CD’s that they could listen to as well as potentially flip. Music fans are going into record stores and having a really good time. They’re inviting others to go with them. Digging through the crates help create some hope that you find something really good that you’ve been wanting… been needing… BEEN OBSESSING OVER. Look, certain cassettes I have to buy in person… yeah I can buy on eBay but if I find a cassette I’m after in the wild? Whoa…. Core memory formed.
Some of my favorite memories in like back in the day have a soundtrack tied to them. Sure we were all watching the Chargers game on Sunday but during commercial breaks and at halftime and sometimes just the whole time we would have music bumping… You think Dr. Dre Chronic 2001 and think, amazing album. For me? Memories unfold back in the late 90s and early 00s of us innocent kids loving music and hanging on every drum beat, every word, every skit, every chorus, every feature… Music brought us together. Concerts brought us together. Sharing songs you like is always love… Music is really good for your soul and buying physical formats like CD’s, cassettes, and vinyl mean something… they help you feel something. that is so dope.
Okay… So maybe I have you bought in on going to a record store again… Believe me, if you go with somebody who actively buys you will have fun… You will be confused… You will likely start flipping through records and feel something about the past that you haven’t thought about in a really long time. That is amazing! But once you start buying records, cassettes, and CD’s you will need to eventually get something to play the music with right? Record players can get pricey… I stay away for now due to space as mentioned before, but also because I will buy a record player but then need all of the best parts possible… then I won’t take care of it like I should and ruin it over time… man i suck… so okay… let’s skip record players as I’m not the expert… but how about portable cassette players? Well, lucky enough for you, you can actually spend $150 - $200 and get a nice model. Sure you can save on cost and get something cheaper but stop… Just level up a bit… Go buy that We Are Rewind Portable Cassette Player… just do it… you could buy a vintage Sony Walkman or another old gem but will you be able to fix it when it breaks? We Are Rewind is dope… go check em out…
If CD’s are more your play, you’re in luck as you can get used CD’s for pretty cheap (below $10) and you can get a decent portable CD player on Amazon for $40 when on sale… Don’t trip on the reviews either… I’ve bought several 4-star CD players and they’ve all done what I’ve needed them to do. There are levels to portable CD players and all of these portable music players so just keep that in mind… Know your budget and try not to sway from it… The current CD player I use in all of my content was $40 on sale on Amazon. It looks like a record player and even has a needle that “drops down” on the CD… you wouldn’t believe how many people see my discman and trip out about it… dog… just go to Amazon.
Outside of physical formats picking up steam, have you noticed that Barnes & Noble Bookstores are expanding? Yup… I was so stoked to hear a new Barnes & Noble had opened by me… A new book store opening in town is a big deal… And you should see how poppin it is there… You walk in and are met by a display of the newest records… the newest books… new sports cards… new magazines… new toys… new headphones… whoa… Barnes & Noble is back?!?!?!!? Yup… So is going to the book store or record store with your friends or family… or just go solo dolo… learn something about music… find something cool to buy… find something cool to love. So yes… streaming services will always be around… but i feel you can become more present bringing vinyl, cassettes, and CD’s back into your life. You can go to Target or Walmart to browse the selection… you can go to Barnes & Noble… you can go to a record store… you can go to the swap meet or flea market… you have options… but don’t be stingy with that collection… show it off a bit… let people know what you’re feeling… you might just find a community that you badly needed in your life…