Gen-Z women are helping to fuel the vinyl revival by buying new records from modern artists including Taylor Swift rather than old albums, store owners have revealed today.
Some 6.5million LPs on vinyl were bought across the UK last year, making it the 16th year in a row to see growth – with stars Lana Del Rey, Kendrick Lamar and Harry Styles credited for the boom.
Experts in the industry now say that Gen Z-ers are behind the trend, whereas in the past it was more likely that middle-aged men and women would go shopping for vinyl from their younger years.
It comes as an industry group today revealed that the number of independent record shops in Britain has hit a 10-year high, with 461 indie record shops across the country – 122 more than a decade ago.
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HMV’s boss Phil Halliday has previously told Gen Z vinyl fans shopping for modern acts was a cause for optimism as his retail firm recently reopened its famous Oxford Street branch in central London.
Phil Barton, who has owned Sister Ray Records in central London since 2003, has also told of his customer base getting much younger in recent years. He suggested the days were over of the so-called ’50 quid bloke’ dominating – referring to middle-aged men who would splash out on several LPs in one go.
HMV reopened its flagship Oxford Street branch partly due to confidence in the vinyl revival
Young female Gen Z fans of Taylor Swift are helping fuel a surge in vinyl sales
Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts was one of last year’s best-selling albums on vinyl in the UK
Vinyl record sales at the end of last year hit a new UK high for the 21st century
He told the Times: ‘That’s just not it anymore. We are what people laughingly call a cool record shop in Soho.
‘But we sell more Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West than we do any other artists.’
And he described a surge in the number of young women coming in to buy vinyl, calling it ‘fantastic to see’.
He added: ‘They are coming in and they want to buy a record, not because it’s cool or their boyfriend wants one but because they want to.’
Seven of last year’s ten most popular vinyl LPs were released in 2003, led by 1989 (Taylor’s Version) and Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) by Swift, Did You Know There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd by Lana Del Rey and Guts by Olivia Rodrigo.
ERA chief executive Kim Bayley, put the similar recent revival in independent stores down to them noting new spikes in physical record sales – even though many supermarkets and other high street shops have stopped offering them.
She said: ‘Despite largely being run by owner-managers, indies have seen off competition from some of the largest and best-funded companies in the land – indies have found their niche and they are here to stay.’
She about half of all vinyl sales last year were by people aged between 16 and 24, with Gen Z women tending to spend a little more than men.
Album sales in vinyl reached record numbers for the 21st century last year.
Speaking exclusively to , HMV managing director Mr Halliday recently revealed bringing their Oxford Street branch ‘back to life’ after a four year absence had much to do with how the firm now felt ‘really optimistic about vinyl and CD’.
Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar, seen here at the 2016 Grammys, are among most popular
Another of the year’s most popular purchases on vinyl was the latest LP by Lana Del Rey
Harry Styles was also among of the best-selling acts bringing Gen Z-ers into record shops
He said: ‘Vinyl is having a well-reported resurgence over the last 16 years of consistent growth and, based on the numbers of customers buying turntables, we don’t expect that to fall any time soon as new fans build their collections.’
More than 250,000 vinyl records were sold in the final week of 2023 – a record for a seven-day period this century – with 6.1million bought throughout last year, according to trade body the BPI.
And the majority of vinyl sales at Christmas appeared to be by or for Gen Z-ers.
Young women buying records is not all new – these two were browsing in HMV in 1958
HMV managing director Phil Halliday says the reopening of the music firm’s flagship branch in London’s Oxford Street is a hopeful sign for a firm rising from the ashes of administration
Young adults and teenagers – members of so-called ‘Generation Z’ – have been using TikTok to show off their Christmas vinyl ‘hauls’ – including special edition releases
Many Gen Z-ers used TikTok to show off their Christmas vinyl ‘hauls’ – including special edition releases.
Mr Halliday added: ‘Turntables were at the top of a lot of gift lists this year based on sales.
‘To help new fans kickstart their collections we had offers across a range of vinyl – including a three-for-£55 on some much-loved recording artists.
‘That was helped by releases from Olivia Rodrigo, Harry Styles and of course Taylor Swift, which were in massive demand.’
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