A very vinyl comeback in Australia, as demand surges

NO-ONE’S going to remember the first tune they download — but they’ll always remember their first record, according to vinyl enthusiast Ryan Sage

Ryan Sage has just opened his record shop in the Air Raid Arcade. Pic Katrina Bridgeford.

NO-ONE’S going to remember the first tune they ever download — but they’ll always remember their first record, says vinyl enthusiast Ryan Sage.

“There’s something really physical about them, something tactile, something that invokes the memory,” he said.

“You get art with a record with a cover.

“You get the physical being and you also get the practical side with the music.”

Today is annual Record Store Day, a day where stores selling vinyl are highlighted in a bid to get more Aussies listening to more tunes.

To mark the occasion, Mr Sage is staging a grand opening of his new store, Air Raid Records. Six weeks ago, Mr Sage set up a stall at Nightcliff Markets to sell some old records and said the success inspired him to set up a shopfront.

“I was selling records to people that don’t have record players — maybe they bought them for the art of the covers,” he said.

It’s not a trend isolated to the Territory.

Sales of vinyl albums increased in Australia by 15 per cent in 2018, with the format worth over $20 million each year.