Study Finds Middle-Aged Introverts Driving the Vinyl Resurgence, Water Wet, Sky Blue

Let me ask you something: when you think of your average vinyl obsessive, do you imagine a chiseled social butterfly in the prime of their life who scales mountains and dances alone at weddings? No, you imagine an older person in their cluttered room, smiling to themselves as they sip coffee and read the lyrics in the gatefold of a record.

But YouGov has decided they needed this on paper, so they did a recent data study and discovered that yes, in fact, the vinyl resurgence is being driven by middle-aged introverts.

YouGov Profiles data suggests that records’ resurgence is rooted in middle-aged nostalgia. When compared to the adult population as a whole, those that have purchased a vinyl album recently are more likely to be aged between 45-54. By contrast, those in the 18-24 aged group are the least likely.

Furthermore, music plays a central part in vinyl buyer’s lives. Two thirds (66%) of this group say they could not get through day without listening to music, compared to 49% of UK adults in general. A third (33%) of record buyers say they listen ‘whenever they can’ compared to 25% of over-18s overall.

There may be a suggestion that music helps this group emotionally too. Vinyl buyers are slightly more likely to both keep their feelings to themselves (56% vs. 53%) and enjoy being alone (69% vs 66%).

Fucking shocker.

This is fine, I suppose, but I think a more interesting study might be how vinyl obsessives relate to other kinds of collectors. I’m super into vinyl, but I also collect cool books, masks, concert posters, candles, Tarot decks, and cool drinks glasses. Unlike that keister Vince, I find there to be a power and beauty in objects, and vinyl is the ultimate object of music, with its size and its blown-up art and its need to be flipped over (I’m in my thirties and I love being alone, so again, no surprise at YouGov’s findings). Maybe the vinyl resurgence is more related to a lifestyle than an age group.

ANYway, let us know if you’re a young, outgoing upstart who also collects vinyl. Otherwise, excuse me, but the new Ghoul album has a board game in the gatefold, and I need an excuse to drink.