Are we soon to see the same trend in the United States? Led by rock fans as Fred Jacobs of Jacobs Media noted in his recent blog:
There’s something very traditional, authentic, and even tactile about vinyl records and the turntables that play them. Adweek reports that Crosley, a company that markets nostalgic-looking turntables, has doubled its sales since 2008, is selling its wares in hip retail stores like Urban Outfitters. Crosley has tapped into the trend, using the phrase “Analog Sound For A Digital Generation” to crystalize their position. The photo at the top of this post is from their website, and sums up the unlikely vinyl turnaround.
But it isn’t just about selling turntables that look vintage. Here in Detroit, Shinola – the company that makes those cool watches, along with other premium products – now has a high-end turntable, the Runwell, with a serious price tag. Pictured below, you can take one home for the not-so-low price of $2,500. And we’re expecting to see more hi-tech and high-end turntables in a few weeks when we walk the floor at CES.
And that’s the point. Vinyl – and the devices that play it – has become an upscale product. The mindset is that owning music on vinyl – and paying as much as $30 for an album – is a symbol of music authenticity – a departure from the commoditization of digital music on services like Spotify and iTunes.
Nielsen continues to measure the impact of vinyl, too, and they’re seeing many of the same signs. The infographic below shows its resurgence, led in part by Millennial males who enjoy Rock. As the small print also reveals, African Americans and Asian Americans also lead to old school vinyl records.
Jacobs Media Blog
December 12th, 2016
