BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Vinyl record sales surpassed $1 billion in 2025, marking the 19th consecutive year of growth for the format.
Mary Jean opened Curious Collections Vinyl Records & More in Bryan in 2016 after packing up her late father’s home.
“I took his collectibles, antiques, and I opened a store, hence Curious Collections,” Jean said. “I noticed very quickly that the collectibles and antiques, people kind of looked at them, but they usually passed them up or bought a couple. They were very, very interested in the vinyl. This was in 2016.”
Customer base shifting younger
Ten years later, Jean says the customer base is changing.
“[There’s] more of a spike in the interest of what generation is becoming more interested in the vinyl. So younger kids, college age, are all coming in and very, very interested in what we have to offer,” she said.
Key Palmer has collected vinyl records since childhood. He says the sales boom caught him off guard but understands the interest.
“I just think it’s great. I think part of the increase in sales was that when you had a CD or a download, especially a download, you can’t take that with you. Can’t show someone the artwork. It’s on your phone or something like that. Whereas with the album, you open it up, it’s a big format. It’s an artistic creation itself,” Palmer said.
Jean and Palmer both agreed vinyl offers a different listening experience than digital music.
“You listen to it front to back. And that’s the way that an album was meant to be played by the artist, is in its entirety. It’s not picking and choosing the songs. It’s listening to the entire thing, feeling the vibe, and understanding what they were writing about,” she said.
The Recording Industry Association of America says streaming still dominates the U.S. market but vinyl has seen an $800 million dollar increase in the last decade.
Curious Collections Vinyl Records & More often hosts listening parties to bring the community together and spread their love of vinyl.