Vinyl record sales are on the rise again.  Known as LPs (long playing records) their sales have more than doubled.  This phenomenon is due in part to audiophiles who never deserted their beloved turntables and LPs, claiming loyalty to vinyl recordings due to their superior sound quality in comparison to MP3s and CDs. According to Nielson SoundScan, which has been tracking LP sales since 1991, in 2008 1.88 million vinyl albums were purchased, more than in any other year since 1991. And interestingly, more than 2 of every 3 vinyl albums purchased in 2008 were purchased at an independent music store.

The plot thickens even more when one considers that sales of CDs have fallen dramatically from 553.4 million in 2006 to 360.6 million in 2008. MP3 sales remain the most popular, growing from 32.6 million to 65.8 million during the same time period, according to SoundScan, mainly due in part to their low price and convenience and popularity with MP3 players. Music industry observers claim that the vinyl record popularity phenom is due in large part because new buyers are discovering feature unique to vinyl albums, such as cover art, detailed liner notes and lyrics and the rich sound quality that vinyl provides.

Rainbo Records, a company that has been pressing vinyl LPs since 1955, says it doubled its production from 2006 to 2007 and more than doubled record output in 2008. Rainbo says it currently presses 25,000 albums a day, up from 6,000 to 8,000 per day in the late 1980s through late 1990s. Since then, Sheldon, Rainbo’s owner, says that vinyl’s popularity has continued to see a steady increase in demand for vinyl production. Sheldon says this is due to a new generation discovering vinyl:  13-to-24-year-olds.

Josh Bizar, sales director at Music Direct Inc., an online supplier of turntables, needles and record cleaners, said Nielson is probably under-reporting sales of vinyl records due to the fact that many online and independent retail shops aren't well known and are thus not included in the count. Music Direct opened 20 years ago and its target audience was sophisticated audiophiles. Since then during a five year period, Bizar says that LP sales have increased by 200 percent.  Music Direct says it now ships between 2 and 3 million vinyl albums each year.

Music labels for artists such as Van Morrison, Cream, Nirvana, Guns 'N' Roses and Metallica have all recently put out new releases or re-released classic albums on new vinyl. And the key is the “new vinyl.” Audiophiles who haven't listened to an LP lately will likely find that the quality of sound on today's albums far exceeds the old-school vinyl of the 20th century, according to Bizar and others. Vinyl was pressed into records in the 1980s that weighed 120 grams.  Today’s vinyl records weigh 180 grams and are recorded with much more technically sophisticated electronics gear.

And to play those great new quality vinyl records, audiophiles need to play them on turntables.  Those have also evolved.  New turntables have been upgraded with USB ports that can be used to transfer LP music to digital media. Those great features also mean that the new turntables cost more:  a high-end Thoren TD2030 belt-driven turntable is priced at $6,195, with Clearaudio models priced up to $150,000!  But standard turntables continue to be available from Sony, Panasonic and Stanton that are priced at about $100. Music Direct's Bizar says that a good quality turntable should be priced at about $350, and is of such high quality that you will have it and use it for the rest of your life.