Sony has decided to restart production of vinyl records 28 years after ending it, citing a surge in interest for the medium from both the young and old.
Consulting firm Deloitte predicted 40 million new vinyl records would be sold in 2017, showing double-digit growth for the seventh year in a row and generating up to $900 million, CNN Money reported.
Vinyl could make up 18 percent of nondigital music sold this year, the Deloitte report said. New turntables also are being released to play the new records.
There are no details yet on which artists and records will be released on vinyl. The plant that will make the records is located southwest of Tokyo, CNN Money said.
Sony decided to stop making vinyl records in 1989 after the medium was eclipsed by cassette tapes and CDs. But even the digital music now widely available hasn’t completely stamped out consumers’ desire to play vinyl records.
“That a format nearly a century old generated 3.6 percent of total global revenues is remarkable,” NPR’s Andrew Flanagan wrote about vinyl in 2016, the Post reported. Only about 16 presses are still operating in the U.S.
The appeal of vinyl has been difficult to pinpoint, but Gizmodo’s Mario Aguilar wrote that the larger size makes cover art more dynamic and the act of having to put the record on the turntable and then flip it over for the other side is more involving than pressing a button on your smartphone.
For now, Fortune notes that although 20 million people will buy a vinyl record around the world this year, it will remain a “high-margin niche” for collectors and a few music connoisseurs who value a different listening experience.
Twitter users celebrated vinyl's return and made requests for albums they'd like to see.
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