Vinyl record sales climbing and growing in popularity…data shows that physical sales of vinyl records have climbed the charts over the past three years.

BENTON, Ark — How we do anything changes constantly— though it may sound vague, think about any electronic you use. You're upgrading every few months or years, using the latest and new greatest item.

The same is true for how we listen to music. We now live in the age of streaming, but just a few decades ago, vinyl records dominated the charts.

Since then, we've seen CDs, MP3 players, and streaming services take over, but there's always been a dedicated base of collectors, keeping vinyl records alive.

"I've got six year old's that come in here, and their parents let them pick out albums, and they're not just picking out kids albums," Audra McAnally-Parsons said. "They're picking out rock, and AC/DC, I mean they're picking all of it out."

McAnally-Parsons owns Retro Rose, a record shop in Benton. She opened her doors three years ago, trying to cater to any and all music tastes.

She said their client base is interesting, from customers listening to older rock and rap, and then younger fans interested in artists like Taylor Swift. It's an interesting trend for her to see— younger generations are getting interested in and collecting their own records.

That's a base they're catering to. The night of Taylor Swift's release of her Speak Now (Taylor's Version), Retro Rose hosted a listening party for those fans.

Data from the Recording Industry Association of America shows that physical sales of vinyl records have climbed over the past three years.

A year-end report from Luminate, which focuses on music and entertainment data, has vinyl as the highest-selling form of physical copies of albums.

Taylor Swift is, of course, the biggest seller on the list, but the classics are just as high. Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson, and The Beatles round out the top 10.

"I do think the statistics are crazy of how much it continues to grow," McAnally-Parsons said.

Of course, it isn't just Retro Rose that has been seeing the benefits of this spike.

"Thanks, Taylor Swift!" Wes Howerton said. "Taylor and Adele, and other people like that, really embracing the idea and pushing to have a lot of their records pressed."

Howerton moved back home from Seattle to start Control Records four years ago, and he's seen that rise for himself—as well as who's driving it. "When I first moved to Seattle, most record stores in Seattle were still like two-thirds CDs, one-third vinyl," he said. "Everyone is moving over, I don't even sell CDs."

This resurgence isn't one that surprises him, though. He said it's about more than just music.

"Just come in here and connect to something, whether they're connected to Queen or they're connected to SZA or Tyler, the Creator," he said. "I just, I think this is a thing that people get the chance to connect to, and this is the way to do it, you know?"

Connecting and collecting are really two sides of the same record. Some of the most popular albums can hold their worth for decades.

Howerton will tell you, while the rush to collect is great, it's best to build up your collection over time.

"This is a chance for them to slow down and engage with something," Howerton said. "I think that we as human beings, that's what we want out of life is to engage with something, and records are a way to engage with art and with music."

So whether you're a fan of the classics, or just starting out, this rise is something both shops want to see keep charting up.

"Every year it's better and better, so hopefully it stays on the uprise," McAnally-Parsons said.

We lost nearly everything in a flood in 2018, when we had a raging river over five feet high inside our house. The only things that we could salvage were on the top shelves of our closets. Just about all we kept on the top shelves of our closets were empty boxes and clothes that no longer fit. All of our books, records, DVDs and CDs were gone.

Since then, the only media we have purchased have been digital. If it has DRM, I remove it. I have all of our digital media backed up to multiple locations. I am old enough that I can no longer hear the difference between an MP3 and a vinyl album. I miss the books the most. I had a large library going back 50 years, including many first editions.

We try to look at it as an opportunity to declutter. Many people our age are upset that their kids do not want any of their family heirlooms. We don’t have that problem.

I am in my 60s. There was a time when I could clearly hear the difference between a vinyl album and a CD or MP3 and I much preferred vinyl. I could also hear the difference between a FLAC digital audio file and an MP3. That time has passed.

As you age, you lose the ability to hear higher ranges of sound. On the plus side, you can get by with much cheaper speakers and sound systems, since it all sounds the same.

Thanks for your reply, but still confused after doing some research. I read that "lossless" CDs and FLAC do have some compression, but they also have what's called "reversible compression" built in so none of the original analog recording is loss.

The main thing I like about CDs is the signal to noise ratio over records. better channel separation; dynamic range, and no variation in playback speed. Not to mention all the tunes are on one side and not having to turn the LP over, and slide them in and out of their covers, which is how a lot of the damage is done.

Yes, I used to love my old LPs when in pristine condition. I'm 73 so I get the nostalgia. I even remember under dash record players that lasted a short time because of obvious reasons. Then there were 8-track players for cars (remember Craig and Muntz?) that sounded good enough for stock speakers in a car. Then came Cassettes with their hiss and the lame Dolby hiss reduction that cut off some of the higher frequencies.

When CDs came along, I just thought wow, that's what I've been looking for all my life. CLAIRITY, so I could always hear all the instruments instead of getting muddle in older LPs. "

"I am in my 60s. There was a time when I could clearly hear the difference between a vinyl album and a CD or MP3 and I much preferred vinyl. I could also hear the difference between a FLAC digital audio file and an MP3. That time has passed."

Sorry to hear that. I am 73 and I can still hear the high tight sizzle of a high hat and the difference between .wav files and MP3 files. I don't know how my hearing can be so good after being in bands, working on Navy flight decks, listening with headphones turned up, having lite tinnitus, and now a Roland e-drum kit connected to an amplifier turned up to play along with my high end surround system.

Interestingly, my wife at 65 has to turn on her own surround system in her space so she can here the dialog (center channel) on her 4k TV. Also have to repeat often what I say at a higher volume. I keep telling her she should look into the new unobtrusive hearing aids, but she won't.

I've probably lost some upper frequencies, but I can still hear the dog's nails just walk across the floors while the wife can't.

"I like Motown."

I used to drive my friends crazy in the 60's when I would change channels to a Motown station. They didn't get how I could be such a Stones and Kinks fan and others at the time and still love Motown. I'd say listen to the melodies, the backing vocals, the arrangements, the heartfelt lyrics. So I'd change the channel back or put in some 60's group 8-track.

Since Motown re-mastered many of their artists, I listen to those CDs all the time. Berry Gordy is or was a genius. There is a documentary called, "Hitsville. The Making of Motown". It is narrated by Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson who was Motown's first hit maker. Sitting together, they take you from the very beginning and through the years of all the Motown acts that Gordy personally pulled together and/or produced. There are too many to mention.

Genetics. My wife is one year older than I am and has much better hearing than I do.

I have looked into hearing aids, but I can still hear most conversations okay, though I am starting to irritate my wife asking her to repeat herself whenever she tries to tell me something from another room (so I may be unconsciously compensating by lip reading). I wear earbuds when I listen to music or watch TV.

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