Vinyl Records Survey: Format Has Small But Loyal Fan Base

Vinyl records have enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence in recent years. Even with all the new, technically advanced ways of listening to music, like mp3’s and streaming services, some people just like the feel and sound of vinyl records a bit more. There’s even a holiday dedicated to them, which happens to be today. So how many people enjoy listening to these records? And how do they compare to other forms of music?

Vinyl Records

In Ask Your Target Market’s latest survey, 3% of respondents said that they only ever listen to music by playing vinyl records. 7% said they listen to records pretty often. 12% do so sometimes. Another 12% rarely do. 42% said that they have listened to vinyl records in the past, but never do anymore. And 25% have actually never listened to vinyl records at all.

Favorite Shops

Of those who currently listen to vinyl, 7% said they buy records at least once a week. 4% buy them a few times a month. 7% buy about once a month. 16% said they buy vinyl records a few times a year. 3% just shop for records about once a year. 42% rarely ever buy new records. And 21% never do.Local record stores are the top choices for most vinyl fans to purchase their records. A couple of the independent shops mentioned include Amoeba Music, Bill’s Records and Salzer’s. Others tend to flock to places like flea markets, thrift stores like Goodwill, garage sales and auctions for their records. And some even choose major outlets like eBay, Amazon and Walmart.

Music Fans

When compared to other types of music, it seems that vinyl records have a relatively small but loyal fan base. Just 15% chose vinyl records as their top choice for listening to music. 27% chose mp3’s or other digital formats. 26% named CDs as their top choice. 17% prefer to stream their music online. And 16% like listening to the radio.You can view the complete survey results in the widget below and be sure to click “Open Full Report” to take advantage of all the chart and filter options.Photo Credit: Carnaby Records from FlickrWhat do you want to know? If you need some consumer insights on a particular topic, let us know in the comments below and we’ll consider it for an upcoming survey post.

Results were collected on August 11 via AYTM’s online survey panel.