"Young people are just mad for records these days!": Meet the indie record shops at the heart of the UK's vinyl boom

Vinyl is so back. Haven't you heard?

As we celebrate 10 years of the UK's Official Vinyl Charts, we thought it high time to spotlight the people at the heart of the current vinyl boom. The indie record shop staff who, day in and day out, are tirelessly spreading the good word of physical music in stores up and down the country, and vitally, guiding today's young shoppers to their all-important first record purchase.

While independent record shops make up 3% of the UK albums market, they account for a disproportionate 36% of vinyl sales today, and the audience for vinyl is notably shifting.

Gary Moore, from Assai Records in Dundee says their shop's clientele has "dramatically changed" in recent years, with a rush of younger music fans...who are absolutely "mad" excited about discovering physical music. "It’s such a fun vibe in the shop, especially on a Saturday," says Gary.

Mark Thorne, Thorne Records, Edinburgh

To be on the frontline of serving young customers with their first piece of vinyl is something of a privilege, shares Mark Thorne of Thorne Records, Edinburgh. "Edinburgh is a wonderful tourist city so we have people from all around the world visiting, but the thing I love the most is that we have two high schools and a primary school on our doorstep which means we have a huge influx of young people experiencing record shops for the first time. Helping people choose their first record is such a joy!"

But vinyl isn't just a young person's game...

"We have a massive range of ages coming into the shop" explains Jess from Tasty Records, Altrincham in South Manchester, "from 12 year old kids who are looking to get their first record, they might not even have a record player, through to 80 year-old men who are wanting Bob Dylan, Elvis, stuff like that." 

Jess, Tasty Records, Altrincham

It's this truly broad spectrum of appeal that means independent record shops are enjoying quite the renaissance right now.

"There is no typical customer," Banquet Records' Jon Tolley tells Official Charts. "I'm glad there's not. It's the variety of people that make it so interesting. Across genders, across all kinds of people. We welcome that!"

Gone are the days of the notoriously intimidating High Fidelity-style experience too.

Vinyl is more accessible now, and business is better for it

Jon Tolley, Banquet Records, Kingston

Jon, who has worked at Banquet Records in Kingston for 25 years, has truly seen the change of the tide in vinyl's audience over the last decade, and sees vinyl as something that everyone can and should own, not just hard-core music fans or specialist collectors, and that's a positive thing.

"There used to be a barrier to entry," Jon says. "There was a time when we would try and sell people records, because we were the experts...now we remain the experts, but only as expert as the customer! It's changed because [vinyl] has become more accessible, the business and the music scene we're involved in is all the better for that."

Beauty is in the eye of the (record) holder

To passionate crate-diggers, vinyl may have always been irresistible, but today's eye-catching vinyl products are on another level aesthetically, and they're drawing in young pop fans in their droves.

Steve Courtnell of Pie & Vinyl, Southsea illustrates "All the different colourways in vinyl have made records more collectible. People want to see the colours, open their records, look at the artwork, it’s so much more tangible. Pop artists in particular - Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter have all led the way in establishing coloured records and making them collectible.”

Olivia Rodrigo's Guts Spilled zoetrope vinyl edition
 

Record Store Day is "like Christmas" for indie record shops

Another huge factor in vinyl's explosion in the UK has been the advent of Record Store Day, one of the most effective music retail promotions introduced this century.

Taking place annually in April since 2008, plus in recent years a further Black Friday event in November too, Record Store Day boasts some of the biggest acts in modern music - from Kate Bush and Taylor Swift to Sam Fender and The 1975 - pressing special, limited edition vinyl singles and albums for sale exclusively on Record Store Day with the goal of driving awareness and footfall to independent record stores. 

 

 

 

 

Speaking on the importance of Record Store Day to smaller record shops, Nerys from Bedford's Slide Records says that to them, Record Store Day is "like Christmas...we sell more records [in one day] than we do the whole of December."

MORE: See this week's Official Vinyl Albums Chart

There's a real sense of occasion to it, according to Marcia of Vinyl Van, Dorchester, "Because it's a big national event, 6 Music publicise it a lot, we see people that haven't found us before, plus it's a lovely celebration for our regular customers. My mum always bakes some cakes and cookies! It's just a special day." 

The founders of Vinylfetishes Manchester, Sash & Glen Hudson, say that Record Store Day gives their business a day "away" from conglomerate retailers such as Amazon or HMV -  a day when they know customers will be lining up to come in and shop for some exclusive titles only available at indie record shops.

"We're a much smaller operation," they explain, "so to get those exclusive titles on a specific day, to know we're going to have customers through the door, it's a very important day for us."

More exciting still, this Record Store Day will be the first for Vinylfetishes - so let's hope it all goes well...and here's to many more!

The Assai Records team, Dundee
 

Which vinyl releases had people queuing round the block?

Seeing as we're celebrating a decade of the Official Vinyl Charts, it would have been rude of us, scandalous even, to not ask our participating stores what the most anticipated vinyl release over the last 10 years was at their store. 

For Gary at Assai Records, it's the enviable triumvirate of the recent Sam Fender record People Watching ("we had queues out the door!), Liam Gallagher's first solo record As You Were (for which they held a midnight opening) and, of course, the perennial superstar Taylor Swift, who apparently sent Assai a shipment of signed CDs just after lockdown (the lucky things). 

Scott Gamble, Crash Records, Leeds

Scott Gamble at Crash Records in Leeds fondly remembers Taylor Swift's Record Store Day exclusive drop - Folklore: The Long Pond Sessions - when she was also 2022's RSD ambassador. They even set up a dedicated counter to flog our Tay's wares, and sold "hundreds" of copies that day. "We could," Scott said, "have sold thousands."

The power of Taylor Swift, ladies and gentlemen.

Of course, so much of music is focused on the future. There will always be new vinyl creations on the horizon - that's what makes being a music fan so exciting! 

What does the future hold for vinyl and indie record shops?

We're now ten years on from introducing the Official Vinyl Chart and vinyl has rocketed to over a third of UK album sales during its first decade of life, from less than 3% back in 2015.

But what does all this mean? What does the future hold for independent record shops, and vinyl at large, during the next decade? Marcia of Dorchester's Vinyl Van says that vinyl has "stood the test of time," and that vinyl record shops, each of which are different and unique, are "not going to go away."

Aimee, Good Vibes Neighbourhood Store & Studios, Edinburgh

"I hope little shops pop up all over the UK, each with their own specific niche, so that no-one feels weird for liking a certain type of music," dreams Aimee of Good Vibes Neighbourhood Store & Studios, Edinburgh". But it's important that the industry doesn't price out fans, she adds, "I worry a little bit about the cost of vinyl, and if it continues to go up whether people will be able to keep it as a hobby, or if it will become a complete luxury. I hope it can level out."

"We're never going to take over the world," says Steve of Pie & Vinyl at Southsea, "but as long as people keep understanding the records and their artistry, enjoying the music and understanding how much happiness music can bring into your life...let's just hope the next generation keep on buying."

He continues, "The fans that come in here today to buy Taylor Swift, are hopefully going to come back and buy a Lola Young, maybe a Wolf Alice record, and then maybe some Radiohead."

Amen to that.

The Official Vinyl Albums Chart and Vinyl Singles Chart are published Fridays 5.45pm. Sign up to the Official Charts mailing list and opt in to 'vinyl' to receive special alerts about Record Store Day exclusives and more. Get the latest vinyl news from Official Charts here.