January 1, 2026
No turntable, all drama
50% of U.S. vinyl buyers don't own a record player
Gen Z buys vinyl without turntables — fans vs 'ewaste' haters
TLDR: Half of U.S. vinyl buyers don’t own record players, with Gen Z fueling the surge. The comments split between “support the artist” identity tokens and “ewaste” merch, with some paying $50 for records yet streaming via Jellyfin/Plex to dodge Spotify—proof fandom is rewriting how we value music.
Half of U.S. vinyl buyers don’t even own a record player, and the internet is spinning faster than a 45. The article says Gen Z is 27% more likely to buy records, treating them as tangible fandom in a world of endless streams. The industry receipts back it up: vinyl revenue jumped to $1.2B, even outselling CDs. But the real concert is in the comments, where the crowd is split between love and side-eye.
OP ResisBey frames the trend as a shift from audio to identity token and artist support in an era of near-zero streaming payouts. Superfan toomuchtodo admits dropping $40–$50 on records, then listening digitally on Jellyfin and Plex to dodge Spotify — peak modern fandom. Minimalist sbarre shrugs: vinyl is basically a shirt or poster, and they don’t want more stuff. Then knollimar barges in with a spicy take: it’s a “silly cargo cult” and even ewaste compared to a poster. Cue memes about “display-only discs,” “shelf trophies,” and a victory lap from Throaway198712 flexing 1,300 records like a trophy case.
It’s not just nostalgia — it’s a tug-of-war over authenticity. Is vinyl the new merch, or a lifeline for artists? The comments say: both, loudly.
Key Points
- •Gen Z listeners are 27% more likely to purchase vinyl records than the average music consumer (Luminate, 2023).
- •Half of U.S. vinyl buyers do not own a record player.
- •32% of Gen Z have taken digital detox breaks, compared to 19% of Baby Boomers (Global Web Index).
- •U.S. vinyl revenues grew 17% in 2022 to $1.2 billion, marking the 16th consecutive year of growth (RIAA).
- •Vinyl albums outsold CDs in units in the U.S. in 2022 (41 million vs. 33 million), the first time since 1987 (RIAA).