50% of U.S. vinyl buyers don't own a record player

Re:50% of U.S. vinyl buyers don't own a record player by lucideer on Thursday January 01, 2026 @08:35PM (#46460388)

I'd say it's varied & most often a combination of multiple things.

- They want the cover art

- They want a physical token representing an artist they like

- They want to financially support the artist in a direct way

- They speculate they might get a player someday (much akin to book buyers leaving books on their shelves unread for years on end)

1 of the above might be the primary driver for any given buyer but I'd assume all of the above play some part in their motivations.

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Re:50% of U.S. vinyl buyers don't own a record player by vr46 on Thursday January 01, 2026 @08:41PM (#46460438)

They want the expense without the inconvenience?

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Re:50% of U.S. vinyl buyers don't own a record player by DavidPiper on Friday January 02, 2026 @03:40AM (#46462701)

Makes me wonder if bands produced something like a Displate wall hanging (no promotion intended) whether that would satisfy the same itches.

For my part, there's something visceral about owning a piece of "physical music", as it were, even if I never play it.

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Re:50% of U.S. vinyl buyers don't own a record player by lucideer on Friday January 02, 2026 @09:03AM (#46464822)

While I'm sure there are plenty of vinyl collectors out there with some Displates up, I feel like vinyl has a lot of elements that make its audience significantly broader (even excluding player owners) - mainly that it has a cultural history associated with it.

I also think people generally underestimate "potential playability" or aspirational record player ownership as factors in buying vinyl. A LOT of people who may never own a record player in their lifetime still think they might, & even if they don't their kids or grandkids might. Vinyl collections are heirlooms.

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