Lakeland sees multi-generational shift to physical media, vinyl records for the holidays
LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) — While so much of our lives have gone digital, from banking to social interactions to day planning, some people are turning to physical options to consume media.
Local stores that sell vinyl records are seeing a continuing increase in sales this holiday season.
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“You can sit there and you can read on the back different things about Fred Rogers and the storylines. You can’t get that on streaming,” said Stephen Debats, owner of Lloyd’s of Lakeland Antiques, while holding a vinyl record.
“Tables have turned,” he said.
20% of Debats’ sales now come from vinyl records, an increase from 1% a decade ago.
“The sales have increased exponentially because the kids want something in their hands. They want to be able to read the back cover,” said Debats.
He said when a market was open downtown and the store stayed open late, he sold 60 to 75 vinyls in one night.
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It’s a trend seen nationally, with more than $1 billion in vinyl sales reported last year.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America, for the first time in three decades, vinyl sales surpassed CD sales in the US.
“They like the nostalgia and the clicks and pops,” said Debats.
Across the street, Jessi Zilka has made a business out of selling physical media at her store, Jesse Carl Vinyl.
What started as a booth at a downtown Lakeland market in 2015, quickly turned into a brick-and-mortar store in 2016 when she saw how high the demand was for her vinyls.
“That was definitely just a twist of fate kind of thing. It was not what I expected,” she said.
Zilka said demand increased during the COVID-19 pandemic as people were in search of a new hobby.
Her main customer base is between the ages of 35 and 65 but also includes high schoolers.
“I always love to quote my favorite artist Jack White when I talk about [physical media]. He says there’s a romance to having physical media because you get to look at it, you get to touch it. You can read the liner notes. You can read who produced it. You can read who played bass guitar on a certain song,” said Zilka.
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Customer Jannette Mendez, a millennial, says she streams music but also has about 100 vinyl records.
She was at the store Thursday to buy a limited edition Mac Miller album.
“There’s something to be said about having physical copies and being able to enjoy that and have like listening parties and still treasuring the old school way of listening to music,” she said.
While vinyl sales have risen slowly and steadily, Zilka said she has seen a sharp increase in CD and cassette tape sales among young people.
“A lot of young kids are buying tapes and CDs because they’re a bit cheaper and the start-up cost – you don’t have to spend $200 to buy a turntable. You can spend $40 and get a Walkman,” said Zilka.
Customer Cozy Ayers, a Gen Zer, said she has an estimated 100 cassette tapes, many of which she was given by her father.
“They sound different. People say that cassette tapes are the worst way to listen to music because of that but depending on the artist, they can make it sound really interesting and you can’t hear that in any other way pretty much,” she said.
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