Tables turn: the vinyl record revival

Vinyl enthusiasts stress the quality can't be beaten. Credit: ITV West Country

There's been a huge resurgence in the sale of vinyl records - last year saw the highest number of LPs sold since 1991.

Once it was the domain of collectors looking for second hands. Now big name artists are releasing their music - new and old - on vinyl.

We've been asking people if they remember their first record:

  • New vinyl sales were up by 53% last year.

Music by the late David Bowie was number one in the 2016 chart. His Blackstar album brought a surge of vinyl sales.

Others included in the top five were Amy Winehouse with Back to Black. Radiohead and Fleetwood Mac's Rumours weren't far behind.

The death of Bowie in January last year contributed to the boost in sales - many record shops quickly sold out of his albums.

CD sales started to decline around ten years ago as the number of people downloading music online began to increase.

Credit: ITV West Country

Records have had a chequered and sometimes bizarre history. The very first discs were made of vulcanised rubber. Then in 1948 the Americans came up with a vinyl concept.