Cumbria’s record sellers are reporting strong demand decades after the format was written off by some as out of date.
In the run up to National Record Store Day on Saturday, while downloads and devices may hold an appeal for many, vinyl – and cassettes – are still very much sought after.
Iain Raftery, owner of Fat Bobs Records in Barrow, said: “More and more are coming and they’re getting younger.
“In the past it was mainly middle-aged men who were buying but now it’s all ages, and more and more younger people are coming in. They buy everything from Led Zep to Queen.”
The appeal seems to be being able to hold an LP, 7 or 12 inch single, admire the artwork and read the lyrics, something a digital format just can’t offer.
Long-time record fan Jayne Moorby has a collection of around a thousand LPs and a similar number of singles.
“The first I bought with my own money was James’ Come Home and then through the early 90s was my first era of buying records,” Jayne recalled.
“I went off to university, left them at home and then when I got my own house brought them home but it was only 10 years ago when I got them out and got back into it, buying new vinyl and back-filling with old records.”
Since then she’s never looked back. Her collection has grown to include post punk and new wave with a particular interest in the Glaswegian music scene of the 80s and 90s.
As well as record fairs and charity shops inspiration has come thanks to the recommendation of an online group of like-minded vinyl, and particularly singles fans, formed during the pandemic which has opened up a whole new avenue of interest.
The group, called #weekendsingles, began by posting pictures of the covers of selected 7 inch singles on Twitter, now X. The cover art, the back story behind the release and details of which issue all appealed and has led to the formation of friendships all over the world.
“We’ve got a core group of around 20 or 30, people who have gone through deep personal struggles and we’ve supported each other as friends,” Jayne said.
“I’ve met around 20 of them and we swop records and also look out for rarities that others might want. It’s a really nice community that we’ve built up completely based around a love of 7 inch records.”
The group has now migrated to Blue Sky but are still going strong and welcome like-minded vinyl fans.
In the US last month the Recording Industry Association of America reported vinyl purchases worth $1.04bn in 2025, the 19th consecutive year of growth for a format some considered outdated.
The UK recorded music market grew for an 11th consecutive year, according to the latest BPI figures for 2025 with 7.6m copies sold, an increase of 13 per cent on the previous year.
In Barrow, the appeal of vinyl has attracted visitors to town.
Iain added: “My customers come from all over, not just Cumbria. I remember a couple from Belgium who were in Grange visiting the area and searched record shops and came to see me.”
