Record stores are making a comeback, thanks to young women

This article was last updated on September 26, 2024

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Record stores are making a comeback, thanks to young women

The covers are beautiful, it’s fun to collect and it sounds different than via Spotify. This is a selection of the reactions of young people who buy LPs. They are increasingly responsible for the success of vinyl. And it is increasingly young women, entrepreneurs see.

Record stores are being added and existing stores are expanding. “They are slowly coming back,” says researcher Gertjan Slop of market researcher Locatus. With 152 stores in the Netherlands, 2022 was a low point for stores in image and sound carriers. The counter now stands at 158.

Figures from the Chamber of Commerce confirm the picture. They show an increase since the corona years.

‘Clear increase’

It is still far from the level of 2004, when there were more than 900 audio stores. “We see a cautious bending of the curve. For years they were in a free fall. Not only has it stopped, but the number is even increasing again,” says Slop. This also includes stores that sell products other than vinyl.

These are not mega numbers, but the increase cannot be ignored, says Esther Vollebregt of Record Store Day Netherlands, a day in April on which record stores worldwide organize special activities.

I see older generations less and less. In my store, young people say: when my salary comes, I will come again.”

Esther Lutgendorff, owner of Velvet Amsterdam

“From pop-up stores to coffee shops that sell vinyl and completely new businesses, they all approach us without us doing our best. It is popular worldwide, but the Netherlands is in the top three.”

The success of vinyl did not come out of the blue: the turnover of CDs and vinyl grew significantly in 2023, to more than 16 and 38 million euros. It will continue to grow this year, says trade organization NVPI.

‘I’m saving for this’

“I come here every week,” says a young woman in Sounds Venlo, a store of more than a thousand square meters. “I really cherish my favorite artists. It’s a nice thing to have and play and it has a different sound than Spotify. I’m saving for this.”

Marlies has owned the business in Venlo for forty years. According to her, things are going very well now. “We have been pushing ourselves to the limit for years, with the rise of downloading and streaming. To now see that the market is picking up so much is bizarre. It is also just a very nice product.”

Young people are well represented among her customers, especially young women. “Traditionally, the music world has been a male stronghold. You see that they stand by those bins and talk about music substantively.”

Esther Lutgendorff has been the owner of Velvet Amsterdam for ten years. “In recent months, the increase has been extra strong, the Taylor Swift effect. I see less and less of older generations. In my store, young people say: when my salary comes, I will come again. They see clearly: I don’t have to listen to obscure punk bands. to feel at home in the record store.”

Constant and lasting

The Utrecht record store Plato has been a household name in the city and far beyond since 1978. Due to the increased popularity, the building was bursting at the seams. The store is now a little further away: more than three times as big.

“I don’t know anything about square meters, but here I can easily take ten thousand steps every day. In the past, I had to walk a little more in the old building in the evening,” laughs co-owner Jeroen Vedder.

More than two years ago, the branch in Deventer also moved to more spacious premises. Vedder does not expect any difficulties in terms of size in Utrecht. “There will be no problem filling that new store, the demand for vinyl is constant and here to stay.”

There has been no record store in Zevenaar for the past 23 years. Since this summer, music lovers can again indulge themselves in Rick Salemink’s store, The Music Fool. A music fan for many years, the former garden supplies sales manager decided the time was right.

He also sees a shift in clientele. “Until a few years ago, you often saw middle-aged men at trade fairs. Now I mainly see young people and girls. I have only been in business for three months and give myself a year to become profitable. The momentum is good.”