Did vinyl sales just hit the proverbial brick wall?

@tomcy6 

Yes. I meant in audio devices. Games is probably its own category. 

I got back into vinyl about twelve or so years ago. I'm glad I did. 

Vinyl records are the number one selling physical medium for music. They still only make up a small slice of total music revenue when you factor in streaming. All age groups are buying vinyl, and turntables are becoming a ’thing’ to have in the home again. In 2021 turntables were the number one entertainment device sold on Amazon during the holiday season. There are countless turntable manufactures in operation today. Cartridge choices are endless. The product itself, the vinyl record, as a physical product that includes artwork and often more, it’s not just rented electrons. On higher end systems vinyl records just sound better than pure digital recordings, and that physicality is more involving-- for some. There is a ritual aspect to it. It’s not about convenience. In the end, convenience usually wins over consumers, but not for everything and not for everyone. Vinyl records will not vanish along with the boomers. It’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

@ghdprentice

Will all wine be in screw-cap bottles in 20-30 years? 

I think sales will level off and grow based upon population like most other established markets. There will always be plenty of people that want to hold the music in their hands.

Pity how most people choose to listen to music these days. Like only eating fast food.

@ghdprentice 

I think you've made my point; corks are not going anywhere and neither are vinyl records. 

Most wine sold is fairly cheap and forgettable, and most of that may well be screw-cap eventually, but there will always be a huge selection of finer wines that will choose to use corks, your comments on aging (very astute) notwithstanding.

Most music released today is streamed, yet the bulk of that is also released on vinyl because a certain percentage of the audience appreciates the quality. 

Books vs. ebooks are another analogy to vinyl records, maybe a better one... e-readers could hardly be much better than they are now, yet books still seem to hold their place.