Records on the rise in Rochester. This is why we love vinyl again.

You see signs of it in Rochester and similar cities, with new acolytes and prodigal consumers returning to the fold — the lasting re-birth of vinyl has happened. If you are young and love Taylor Swift, this might feel new.

It's actually a re-boot of a long-standing American hobby of form and function appreciation that lasted a century before almost dying in the early 2000s.

One of many vocal fans of the vinyl rebirth is Sigmund Bloom. His mantra: "Get a record player. Start a record collection. Because it's the ritual. It is marrying music back to ritual. And whenever you take your record out and you handle it very gently, because it's a precious thing. ... it's a moment in your life when you slow down and you make yourself ready to receive something."

The Syracuse grad doesn't have a music show, but the industry-leading podcast host preaches to NFL fans, and anyone who likes his brand of analysis and philosophy, about the role that records can play in our lives.

Love of vinyl has more crossover than ever. Rochester's recent Record Store Day showed that.

Vinyl is not just for podcast nerds, comic book collectors, pool players, DJs, audiophiles and old dudes with an aging, too-small denim jacket in the back of the closet and a few vintage Twisted Sister buttons in a cardboard junk box.

Making a record store pilgrimage to Rochester

Tracy Jacques and David Parkinson drove to Rochester recently from Providence, Rhode Island, for a visit. And the city's record stores had them change their plans and stay an extra day.

We saw them showing up about the time Record Archive was closing for the evening, but they'd be back the next morning. With what time they had before the "Closed" sign went up, they got lost in the attractions of the lounge area for a half hour in the store off East Avenue. And they were giddy.

"Absolutely incredible," Parkinson said. "Eye candy everywhere. Old records, new records. The good stuff. ... This is off the hook, man."

The couple sat on the wall outside for a few minutes afterward, close together, talking excitedly about the vinyl, the posters, the T-shirts, laughing and punctuating the euphoria with a kiss.

This was a destination worth traveling for — a far cry from the decade when albums and record players were being routinely set on the curb with the trash as CDs ruled home collections and then mp3's became popular.

Coming back to a record player near you

The resurgence of vinyl is not as steeply upward as the previous decline was. It is not like its heyday.

Sales of vinyl albums in America hiked up in 2023 for the 17th year in a row. The Recording Industry Association of America says 43 million EPs or LPs were sold in the country last year. That is a big difference from 1 million in 2006.

You will find more infographics at Statista

In Rochester, vinyl from artist like Swift and Noah Kahan are pulling in a younger demographic. And it is not just online sales and specialized record stores. A Walmart in northwest Rochester this spring boasted two aisles of vinyl, with a Gen Z-er flipping through them.

You can even target or collect different color variations and packing changes in the same release window of a new album.

"Taylor Swift gave us a record last year that you could only get at independent (record) stores," said Alayna Alderman, vice president of Record Archive. "That was the pinnacle. I'm like, we're all still scratching our heads, like, how the hell are we going to beat that one, you know?"

The local store owners were part of the founding of the national day, Alderman said. "We've been doing this a long time, simply for the sheer love and passion for the music."

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Alderman has connections throughout the independent record store sector in America and sees how their network connects with audiences of all ages and musical tastes. In their store, they have a quarter million vinyl records, and much more. They sell in person but also online.

She is shipping records out every morning.

Russ Torregiano of Needle Drop Records in Brighton says the physical experience of handling and playing a whole vinyl record is a key to its lasting power.

"It slows everything down," he said. "You can't skip through the tracks. You have to pay attention."

— William Ramsey is an editor at the Democrat and Chronicle.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Records on the rise in Rochester. This is why we love vinyl again.