Why I Stopped Buying New Vinyl

A few years back I wrote a post about trying to be a more minimalist music fan, addressing many of the issues I had with the constant demands on music fans to buy more and more and more and more stuff.

After writing that post I slowly began to change my behaviour, and this year I have almost stopped buying new vinyl entirely. In fact the only album I have purchased on vinyl this year is a signed copy of Amanda Shires last album from her concert in June.

Yes, you read that right, this vinyl addict has gone nearly six months without adding anything new to their collection at all. Please send me all your praise for this remarkable feat of resistance in the comments.

Let me walk you through the reasons why I, music blogger with a record collection stretching into the hundreds, came to the blasphemous decision to stop buying new vinyl.

1. The Cost of Vinyl is Now Beyond a Joke.

I probably would’ve been happy to keep buying records at the rate I’d been doing before (around two or three a month) if the cost of living crisis hadn’t hit us all where it hurt. Vinyl was the first place I noticed the seismic shift in everyday pricing.

Albums that would have been £18.99 in 2020 had crept up and up and UP to the point where the average new album seems to be closer to £29.99. Now I’m terrible at maths but even I knew that this is more than a third of what they used to cost. And that’s just the average – some of the Neil Young reissues and new releases are well over forty quid.

I don’t care how brilliant an album is or how beautiful the product looks – anything over £20 for one album is daylight robbery. I just refuse to be ripped off. It’s impossible for the average fan to support more than one or two artists at that level of cost. No wonder people have to use free streaming sites.

And that’s why I have issues with the big guns like Neil Young and Taylor Swift charging so much. Is it really necessary to release every album on vinyl at such high costs? Surely the opposite should happen – the more famous and successful you are the cheaper your music should be. After all you’ve already earned more money than most people will ever see in their lifetime. For once wouldn’t it be great to see one of the big stars take a stand against greed and wealth?

Neil Young has done good work in drawing attention to the damage that Spotify has done and he’s even launched his own download device and app as alternatives but he still continues to sell overpriced vinyl that might prevent his fans using their money to support other more needy musicians. If Neil can’t make a cheaper vinyl model work then who can?

2. I Have Enough Stuff

My shelves are full. I can’t physically fit any more vinyl in my house. I have the privilege of a complete record collection that I could listen to from now until I die and I wouldn’t get sick of it. I’m sure most people reading this are probably the same.

New music gives me life but having too much stuff is suffocation to the spirit.

3. I’m Done With Buying Things Out of Guilt & Parasocial Pressure

What these past few years have taught me is that buying vinyl or going to concerts is not what makes you a ‘true’ music fan. Of course it is wonderful to be able to support musicians you love to have careers. But the constant pressure that has come from online parasocial relationships between fan and artist is overwhelming at times.

Being a fan needs to be about more than just how much money you have to spend; conversely being an artist needs to be about more than selling products. We have a problem with the system itself.

Spotify might be a broken model in terms of how the artist gets paid but it’s the closest thing we have to a way that allows everyone to experience music equally no matter how much money they have. I will be sharing some further thoughts on how to make streaming more equitable and sustainable later this week so look out for that.

4. I Just Can’t Ignore The Environmental Impact Any Longer

And that brings me to the final, most damning, reason why I stopped buying new vinyl: the environment. Climate change and its effects might be the elephant in the music industry room right now but I’ve had my eyes opened to the problem and I can’t go back to ignorant bliss.

Put consumerism and cost to one side for a minute and just think about the absolute weirdness of playing music from a plastic disc. Then think about how these things get made. Vinyl is made from PVC which is made from fossil fuels – the very thing that is currently wreaking havoc on the planet.

You just can’t greenwash vinyl. It’s a toxic product which releases chlorine-based chemicals during production. It cannot be recycled. PVC is non biodegradable – the more we make the more we are trashing the planet for future generations.

Take one look at your record shelves and see that part of what makes vinyl records so appealing: their size, weight, and tactile nature are also what makes them so completely unsustainable.

Funny thing is that we already had moved away from vinyl a long time ago. CDs are still plastic but their carbon footprint is considerably less and if you listen to an album more than 27 times then it’s actually the most environmentally friendly format (plus affordable and easier for the artist to produce and distribute).

But let’s be real here – people who collect vinyl and CDs are also listening to digital music. Streaming is problematic for the environment too but research has concluded that if all songs were downloaded instead of streamed, there would be an 80% reduction in CO2 emissions after the first listen.

I’ve been seduced by the vinyl revival the same as everyone else. Nostalgia and romanticism are to blame here with some added modern day consumerism. The truth hurts but I’ve decided to become a responsible adult and actually accept the facts.

Vinyl has to go.

But look I’m only human – I admit that in a moment of weakness I put a few on my Christmas list – after all presents don’t count in your carbon footprint (isn’t that right Santa?). However, in all seriousness, writing this post has convinced me that those might just be the last new ones I ever own.

Let me know if your attitude to buying new vinyl has changed at all recently and share any solutions you have to a more sustainable way to consume music in the comments below!