Vinyl Record Sales Zoom In Japan As Kids, Tourists Prefer Them

Young people in Japan and visitors from abroad have been boosting vinyl record sales in the country amid the global analog boom that began in the 2010s. Vinyl production volume and value grew more than 70% in 2021 from the previous year, Tomohiro Inoue reported for Mainichi Shimbun.

Photo Insert: The stay-at-home lifestyle due to the COVID-19 pandemic also boosted the vinyl boom.

According to statistics by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ), domestic vinyl production volume peaked in 1976 at about 199.75 million records.

The role of records as the main music medium was superseded by CDs in 1988, but after it peaked in 1998, CD production volume has been in decline, and now digital streaming services at fixed subscription rates are the mainstream.

Nowadays, people can enjoy music from around the world on smartphones, so why are they buying analog records? Simply because they sound better.

The revival of vinyl records was triggered by a "Record Store Day" event held by people affiliated with record shops in the United States in 2008 in a bid to make consumers rediscover the charm of vinyl records.

Famous musicians joined the move and released editions limited to record stores. The move grew year by year to an annual event and spread to Europe and Japan.

Major Japanese record manufacturer Toyokasei Co. also set Nov. 3 as "record day" in 2016 and has held an event on that day every year since, as well as on Dec. 3 in 2021 and 2022.

The stay-at-home lifestyle due to the COVID-19 pandemic also boosted the vinyl boom. People used to listen to music on their smartphones while commuting, but they have shifted to music to listen to at home while relaxing.

Mizuguchi of Toyokasei commented on the phenomenon, "Young people who had never experienced turning over records from side A to side B are finding enjoyment in this 'annoying' task."

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