Vinyl Collection

Take a Spin Through Music History with LDL’s Vinyl Collection!

This collection spans the decades, highlighting influential and popular music between 1910 and the present. Our collection and listening stations are made possible through a generous donation from Burton H. and Stella T. Brooks.

Help us grow our vinyl record collection! Bring donations to the Adult Information Desk or email [email protected] for more information. 

Spinning Through the Decades– A Timeline

1877- Thomas Edison invented the phonograph using wax cylinders wrapped in tinfoil, a huge advancement at the time.
 

1887 – The Revolution of Revolution

Emile Berliner invented the gramophone and created flat, disc shaped records. The flat shape was far easier to store and transport than cylinders and since the stylus moved horizontally, it minimized the distortions caused by gravity on the cylindrical phonographs.  

 Berliner’s discs were made of shellac – a resin made from the secretions of the lac insect, mixed with clay or other filler. This brittle and inexpensive composition dominated the industry until the early 1950s.  Although this material had its own complement of deficiencies, it at least held the impression of the stamper and was relatively cheap.

1910s – The rise of the popular record coincided in the United States with the new ragtime. It stimulated an unprecedented dance craze at a time when the phonograph was becoming increasingly available. As the fad spread to millions who had never danced before, phonographs were sold to people who had never owned records before.

1925- During the early days of recording, both the cylinder and the disc were produced acoustically rather than electronically. Although acoustic recordings were improved by the 1920s, the problems were not overcome until the introduction of the microphone and the consequent electrical recording process around 1925.

1930s- The Great Depression, the limited availability of record players, and free radio music threw the phonograph industry into serious decline.

1963- Philips Electronics launched a small battery-powered audio tape recorder that used a cassette instead of the loose spool used in reel-to-reel tapes. Philips let other manufacturers reproduce the technology royalty-free, quickly establishing cassette tapes as a standard worldwide. The cassette was stiff competition for LPs because of their portability, durability, ease of copying, and their ability to rewind, fast forward, pause, play, or stop. 

1979- Electronics companies Philips Electronics and Sony Corporation began collaboration on the Compact Disc (CD), another tough competitor for LPs because of their durability, portability, and functionality. 

 1982- The first commercial CDs were released. And, by the end of 1982, the sales of recorded music on cassettes had overtaken those of LP discs in the United States. 

1988- The sales volume of the CD format increased 46.6% from the prior year and made up 67.4% of the total sales of all music formats. 

1990- LP records sales continued to decline with primarily only collectors and audiophiles remaining loyal to the format. 

2010s- In the 2010s LP records sales start to see a resurgence. 

2021 — Resurgence of Physical Music Formats  

For the first time since 1996, both CDs and LP records experienced revenue growth in the same year. 

Revenues for the LP/EP format were $1.2 billion. The last time vinyl records exceeded $1 billion was 1986. Vinyl accounted for 63% of revenues from physical formats, and 7.2% of total music revenues. 

 The number of turntables sold in the United States rose by nearly 10% in 2021 over the previous year. Approximately 82,000 were sold in the U.S in 2021. 

2023 – Revenues from vinyl records grew by 10% to $1.4 billion – the 17th consecutive year of growth – and accounted for 71% of physical format revenues. Even though revenues from CDs also increased, for the second time since 1987, vinyl albums outsold CDs in units (43 million vs. 37 million).  

Nostalgia, the ritual of playing records, and vintage vibes are a few reasons driving the revival of vinyl records. Many collectors also want to return to tangible products and ownership of the physical music, without the loss of access to music they have paid for, as can happen with digital formats. 

Making Waves 

These artists had a significant impact on the popularity and sale of vinyl records!  

Scott Joplin’s rags sensationalized by Irving Berlin’s “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” were written in 1910 and swept the country the following year. The rise of the popular record coincided in the United States with the new ragtime, and it stimulated an unprecedented dance craze at a time when the phonograph was becoming increasingly available.  

As the fad spread to millions who had never danced before, phonographs were sold to people who had never owned records before. Between 1914 and 1919 phonograph sales increased more than fivefold. 

Elvis Presley was a far-reaching phenomenon of the 1950s. Presley was a popular U.S. singer who inspired a new, youth-oriented style of music: rock and roll. He generated many solo singers and groups, and a teenage and subteen culture of avid record buyers. 

The Beatles, a British rock quartet from Liverpool, first performed together in 1957. The Beatles quickly rose to fame in England by the end of 1963 and in the United States by 1964. The Beatles fan frenzy was so quickly growing and wide reaching, the phenomenon became known as Beatlemania. Their popularity helped stimulate record sales in the 1960s to an all-time high.   

Taylor Swift was responsible for 7% of all vinyl albums sold in the U.S. in 2023, which means one of every 15 vinyl albums sold in the U.S. that year was by Taylor Swift. On her own, Swift sold 3.484 million vinyl albums across her many successful titles available on the format. In 2023, five of the top ten selling vinyl albums were released by Swift. 

 The bestselling vinyl album of 2023 in America was Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version). The set, which was released in October, sold 1.014 million copies in only a few months. It was the only title to hit the million units sold mark on vinyl that year. 

Making Waves 

These artists had a significant impact on the popularity and sale of vinyl records!  

Scott Joplin’s rags sensationalized by Irving Berlin’s “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” were written in 1910 and swept the country the following year. The rise of the popular record coincided in the United States with the new ragtime, and it stimulated an unprecedented dance craze at a time when the phonograph was becoming increasingly available.  

As the fad spread to millions who had never danced before, phonographs were sold to people who had never owned records before. Between 1914 and 1919 phonograph sales increased more than fivefold. 

Elvis Presley was a far-reaching phenomenon of the 1950s. Presley was a popular U.S. singer who inspired a new, youth-oriented style of music: rock and roll. He generated many solo singers and groups, and a teenage and subteen culture of avid record buyers. 

The Beatles, a British rock quartet from Liverpool, first performed together in 1957. The Beatles quickly rose to fame in England by the end of 1963 and in the United States by 1964. The Beatles fan frenzy was so quickly growing and wide reaching, the phenomenon became known as Beatlemania. Their popularity helped stimulate record sales in the 1960s to an all-time high.   

Taylor Swift was responsible for 7% of all vinyl albums sold in the U.S. in 2023, which means one of every 15 vinyl albums sold in the U.S. that year was by Taylor Swift. On her own, Swift sold 3.484 million vinyl albums across her many successful titles available on the format. In 2023, five of the top ten selling vinyl albums were released by Swift. 

 The bestselling vinyl album of 2023 in America was Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version). The set, which was released in October, sold 1.014 million copies in only a few months. It was the only title to hit the million units sold mark on vinyl that year. 

Click here to view the sources used to create the “Spinning Through the Decades” Timeline & “Making Waves” Artist Spotlight