Have modern humans moved past physical objects? The resounding comeback of vinyl records suggests otherwise. Inside the appeal & logistics.
Humans are physical creatures living in an increasingly digital world. Jobs are performed remotely. We text people in the next room. Dates are arranged from a digital menu. There are efficiencies.
But we still crave real things. Certain items, like food, clothing, and building materials must exist in physical form in order to function. The resurgence of vinyl reminds us that even things that don’t necessarily have to be physically present are still more appealing when they are.
That’s where supply chain professionals come in. Next time you sit down to a tasty meal, slip on a warm sweater, or pop an album onto the turntable, remember to thank a truck driver, warehouse worker, or procurement specialist.
The Appeal of Tactile Objects
The vinyl presses are still stamping! Sure, streaming is the preferred method of listening to music in 2024, but over 49 million vinyl albums were sold in the U.S. last year, marking the 17th consecutive year of growth for the format!1
What gives? With all of history’s recorded music in her pocket, why is your daughter listening to Taylor Swift the same way your grandfather listened to Bing Crosby? What does this tell us about human nature? Artisanship? The supply chain? Best in class Warehouses?
Peak Vinyl Experience
It’s 1977 and a group of young adults are sitting around a living room. One of them presents a vinyl album they picked up at a record store that afternoon. It might be KISS, Bob Marley, the Bee Gees, or Fleetwood Mac.
The others take interest. The owner walks across the floor to the record player and carefully places the needle on the record. Hopefully they’re not clumsy or they could scratch the vinyl. The sleeve is passed around the room from friend to friend. The large square cardboard imagery is not merely peripheral to the music, but a lens through which to experience it.
This was not a rare scene. Nearly 350 million vinyl records were sold in the US that year alone, representing the peak of the format’s commercial dominance.2 Selected, bought, carried home.
The Evolution of the Music Industry
Alas all things change. Cassettes made music convenient. Music videos made it visual! Compact discs were shiny. Finally, when a college student named Sean Fanning invented a file sharing program called Napster in 1999, music was free! Hear that collective groan? That’s the sound of a thousand record company execs being bumped from their private jets and forced to fly commercial.
After much resistance the industry finally stopped fighting digital distribution, instead coalescing around platforms like iTunes and Spotify to harness it. Vinyl, however, was a thing of the past. Or was it? Apple launched iTunes in 2003, and by 2008 when Spotify launched and digital streaming was maturing, vinyl began its comeback.
The Return of Vinyl
Like a phoenix from the ashes, vinyl began to rise again. Not to its original glory, but far above obscurity. Americans bought less than a million vinyl albums in 2006, but over 49 million in 2023. In 2022 vinyl outsold CDs for the first time since 1986!3 It’s not just nostalgia either. The top two vinyl albums of 2020 were from Harry Styles and Billie Eilish.3 Surely the core of those two fan bases weren’t in the room when a Bee Gees dance party broke out in 77!
What’s behind the revival?
A survey of record buyers found these to be the top six reasons to buy vinyl:4
- I like to physically own music
- I like to have physical records to look at
- I like the ritual of playing a vinyl record
- I like to immerse myself in an album
- I want to support the artists
- I like reading liner notes
Wildest of all? 50% of those who buy vinyl don’t even own a record player!5
The Logistics of Vinyl
So we’ve established that vinyl has benefits. But how does a tune go from the back of a musician’s head to a shelf in your living room? The process goes like this…
- Music is recorded by international superstars or weekend hobbyists in high priced studios or suburban basements using digital and/or analog equipment. The music is then mastered to best suit the unique physical properties of vinyl. It’s an art and a science.
- Vinyl records are made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC). During the heyday of vinyl production this material was mostly produced in the United States, but this supply chain was disrupted when the format fell off a steep cliff several decades ago. According to the Guardian, much of the vinyl compound used for album production in the US is now sourced from Thailand.6
While there are environmental concerns surrounding PVC, it’s worth noting that streaming requires data storage, processing and transmission, all of which carry their own environmental cost.
- Vinyl records are stamped in processing facilities around the world. While these facilities surely come and go, one list features 47 countries that are active in the field.7 The USA leads the field with 103 such facilities, with the United Kingdom placing second with 55. This seems roughly proportionate to the number of musical superstars these nations have produced over the years. Canada is listed as having 20, which, again, tracks.. After a quality control check, the albums are cleaned and packaged in protective sleeves.
- Packaged records are transported to warehouses and distribution centers, where inventory is managed and orders fulfilled. In this sense, vinyl is little different than any number of other household products.
- Last mile delivery is used to get these albums to record stores where they’ll be discovered by crate diggers or directly to the homes of online audiophiles who have purchased them via ecommerce.
Will the vinyl revival last? Continue to grow? Wane? Time will only tell, but as long as there’s a desire to put the needle on the record, there’ll be a team of logistical professionals facilitating the journey. Think of them as the unsung heroes of the music industry.
Cited Sources
1 Götting, Marie Charlotte. “U.S. Vinyl Album Unit Sales 2023.” Statista, March 15, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/188822/lp-album-sales-in-the-united-states-since-2009
2 Richter, Felix. “Infographic: Despite Comeback, Vinyl Is Still Far from Its Glory Days.” Statista Daily Data, April 19, 2024. https://www.statista.com/chart/7699/lp-sales-in-the-united-states
3 Crockett, Zachary. “The Insane Resurgence of Vinyl Records.” The Hustle, February 8, 2024. https://thehustle.co/the-insane-resurgence-of-vinyl-records
4 Richter, Felix. “Infographic: Vinyl Records: A Physical Token in the Digital Age?” Statista Daily Data, April 21, 2023. https://www.statista.com/chart/29784/reasons-to-buy-vinyl-records/
5 “Half of People Who Buy Vinyl Records Don’t Own a Record Player.” Core77. Accessed May 16, 2024. https://www.core77.com/posts/123222/Half-of-People-Who-Buy-Vinyl-Records-Dont-Own-a-Record-Player
6 “Nightmares on Wax: The Environmental Impact of the Vinyl Revival.” The Guardian, January 28, 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jan/28/vinyl-record-revival-environmental-impact-music-industry-streaming.
7“Vinyl Record Manufacturing by Countiries.” Vinyl Record Manufacturing by countiries. Accessed May 23, 2024. https://www.vinyl-pressing-plants.com/all-vinyl-pressing-plants-list/countries/.
