Vinyl is back, baby. In a HUGE way!

Good news, music fans. Artists are projected to make 5.2 billion (That’s with a “b”) in vinyl record sales in 2024, according to weraveyou.com. You know what that means? More artists are going to release their music the old-fashioned way. Vinyl! And that, my friend, is good for music lovers.

Vinyl Records Do What Downloads Can’t

Having music easily accessible on your phone is awesome, I get that. But man, there is nothing like putting the music back into the listeners hands. Opening the sleeve and pulling out an actual album. Placing it on a record player, putting the needle on the groove and hearing the crackling of the first note.

The sound is raw. Pure. And most importantly, it connects us.

Vinyl brings people back together. Record stores are once again a hub for music lovers to converge and look for their favorite artist. Or even find a new one. It revitalizes the music community. When I was a young punk kid, I used to go to Tower Records, Rhino Records and specialized record shows at convention centers. And finger my way through entire racks of albums looking for that one special vinyl (the major score was finding Killer P—-‘s “Teenage Enema Nurses in Bondage” with the paper sanitation wrap).

Sorry, I meant. Killer P—-…what the… why can’t I say P—-? Stupid Suits!

Anyway, the rarity. The unusual. The one I could afford. That’s what I was after.

Current Value Of Vinyl Records

Since the resurgence of vinyl, the value of records has gone through the roof. The top ten most valuable records of all time is listed on bigfudgevinyl.com. Their top spot goes to the Wu Tang Clan’s album “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin”, which currently commands $2 million, according to the website. That’s a lot of C.R.E.A.M. Now, there’s only one copy, which is why it’s worth so much money. And the guy that owns it is that Pharma Bro jerk Martin Shkreli (which I think should devalue it, but that’s my humble opinion).

Coming in second is “The Beatles (White Album)”. It’s a classic, so any copy of it will bring in some cash. But Ringo Starr’s Copy, which is the first one ever pressed, went for a cool $790K. That’s classic CASH! Jack White owns the third most valuable record on Big Fudge’s list. He dropped a ton of cabbage for Elvis’ first recording ever. $300K, to be exact.

And the Beatles, once more, are at number four on the list with “Sgt. Pepper”.  I had a copy of the Fab Four’s most iconic album too. Although mine wasn’t worth as much as the one that sold for $290K stated by bigfudgevinyl.com. Because, unlike that copy, John, Paul, George and Ringo didn’t grace their signatures on mine.

And the list goes on, proving one thing: vinyl is back! It’s valuable, and not just when it comes to money. But also because it brings people together, rich and poor. And since I’m poor and can’t afford a couple of hundred thousand on an album, I’ll just go to my local record store and see if I can find that elusive Killer P—- record (damn, thought I’d sneak that one in).