Vinyl at their most popular for decades in Lincolnshire as revival continues

Record Store Day is fast approaching, and here in Lincolnshire the Vinyl Revival is going strong.

A musical revolution is seeing tastes go full circle, back towards physical copies of records.

2022 was the first year in over three decades that saw vinyl sales eclipse CD sales in the United Kingdom, with figures finding that sales of vinyl records have increased year-on-year since 2007.

The Vinyl Revival has come at a time when physical sales of music are more difficult than ever, due to the juggernaut streaming services offering such a wide range of music at your fingertips.

However, the strive for sentiment and a physical item to own has seen more people revert back to vinyl records, as well as adding the music to their Spotify or Apple Music playlists.

This is no more apparent than at the Lincoln Record Fair, organised by AA Record Fairs, which brings some 500 music connoisseurs to the Engine Shed for a day of browsing their favourite records.

The Lincoln Record Fair takes place at the Engine Shed on Sunday, April 16, with over 100,000 vinyl to flick through from a wide range of dealers based all over the country.

Entry costs £2 at the door, with the event running from 9.30am to 3pm.

Adrian Wells, organiser of the Lincoln Record Fair, said the Vinyl Revival has seen a wider demographic of people engage with 7″ and 12″ records.

Adrian told The Lincolnite: “I started as a professional musician with a love of music about 30 years ago, and my record collection just got too big.

“Originally record fairs were for collectors of a certain age looking for the latest rare, valuable record.

“What has changed now is the accessibility of music for young people – they check out music in the streaming age and want to own a physical version of their favourite albums.

“Vinyl is more than just music, it is a form of art. It can be a great thing to have in your house long-term, without even needing to play it.”

Discussing the upcoming Lincoln Record Fair, Adrian said that his vision of opening the floor to a more diverse audience has worked a treat, and it has placed the city in an enviable position within the vinyl collection community.

“All of our record dealers specialise in something different, and the diversity of the vinyl in that room is unlike anything else in the region.

“Off the back of these events, Lincoln now finds itself with one of the best record fairs in the whole country.

“It was always about connecting to a wider audience, to people who usually wouldn’t come to record fairs, and we’ve achieved that.

“Anyone who hasn’t been before can expect a friendly, welcoming atmosphere, and you truly feel a part of something. It isn’t just about records, this is a cultural experience.”

Local independent businesses will be eagerly preparing for Record Store Day on April 22, an annual occasion for record shop owners to collectively celebrate their culture.

Here in Lincoln, Jim Penistan of Back to Mono on Guildhall Street knows more than most about the soaring demand for physical records, with his business development echoing the trend of the Vinyl Revival.

Jim opened his store in 1989 as Sonic Sounds, but closed in 2007 as download services such as Napster began to emerge and take over music scenes.

However, he was back two years later as Back To Mono, and the business has thrived ever since thanks to an eagerness for record collection, from a new, younger demographic.

Jim says the quintessence of music comes from something like a vinyl record, where you are almost forced into listening to an album in full rather than skimming through songs on a streaming service.

“When Pink Floyd brought Dark Side Of The Moon out, it was a case of putting the record on your player, dropping the needle, and listening from start to finish”, he said.

“The age of downloads and streaming made it feel like the end of an era, but we reopened as demand surged once again and we are now experiencing a full circle moment.”

But why have we come full circle, you ask? Jim thinks it is down to a number of contributing factors, from big artists championing vinyl to consumers hunting for the soul in their music intake.

He adds: “I think over time people have realised that they like owning a physical collection. Records come with sleeves, artwork and posters, it is so much more than just the music.

“You don’t get anything of the sort by streaming an album, it’s actually quite soulless; whereas when you drop the needle on a vinyl record you see the physical mechanism, and you are giving the album a chance in full.

“New artists like Taylor Swift, Harry Styles and Billie Eilish have also really helped progression of vinyl sales amongst younger people. Taylor was Record Store Day ambassador last year, for instance.

“You can see at live concerts and music festivals that people still want and need music. The Engine Shed had a bunch of sold out shows this week, the arts helps the local economy.”

Jim will be partaking in the Lincoln Record Fair this weekend, and there will also be live music and events on at The Drill for Record Store Day on April 22.

We rounded off our chat with Jim by asking him to name his favourite records. His answers were The Smiths’ seminal 1986 album The Queen Is Dead, and David Bowie’s magnum opus from the 1970s – Hunky Dory.

For record hunters in Stamford, you have Rock on Records, a shop opened by Ted Carroll, the former manager of legendary rock act Thin Lizzy.

Ted has built up a record collection tipping over 50,000 over the years, and will now be selling them in aid of charity at his Stamford store.

The same can be said for one of the biggest national music retailers, HMV, which has observed a shift in demand from its customers in recent years.

After years at the back of stores in the CD and streaming eras, vinyl records now sit proudly in the middle of HMV’s Lincoln Cornhill site – and they are a major source of income for the business.

So how long will the Vinyl Revival last? While there is no way of knowing, the fever of physical music collection still burns bright in Lincolnshire, suggesting that 7″ and 12″ records will be hanging around our shelves for a while longer yet.

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