By Anthony Mendicino

The first Columbia Records vinyl was introduced in 1948, since then the medium has experienced a roller coaster ride of popularity. Audiophiles everywhere have long revered vinyl records for their warm and clear sound. But they haven’t been able to stay popular throughout their history.

The term “Vinyl Revival” has been coined by the media and music listeners everywhere to summarize the current revitalization of vinyl in the popular sense.

Vinyl largely died out in the 80s and 90s, replaced by the compact disc and eventually, digital music. The ease of the CD and MP3 became their main selling points. Instead of listening to an album through and through using a large record player, music listeners could now have their tunes in their pocket.

But suddenly, after years of steady sales of CDs and MP3s, vinyl sales shot up in 2007, and by 2010 sales were growing a fast rate. Vinyl had returned to its mid-80s popularity.

While the medium was largely left behind by previous generations, millennials seem to have a greater interest in them. Perhaps, it is part of the “retro” culture that has become so popular in recent years, or the fact that vinyl is a physical, more personal form of music.

Whatever the reason may be, the numbers don’t lie. In 2015, United States vinyl sales totaled $11.9 million, the most since vinyl’s hay-day in the 60s and 70s. In fact, the medium has grown exponentially since 2007. Vinyl raked in $998,000 in 2007 and grew steadily, eventually landing on $11.9 million last year.

A large part of that was due to Jack White. The legendary musician and guitarist celebrated Record Store Day (April 16) by producing “the worlds fastest released record.” White and his band recorded a song off his recently released album Lazaretto. They then drove the master copy to United Records and printed 7′ copies that would be sold at White’s “Third Man Records” studio. In total the process took only 3 and a half hours.

White also packed the album with freebies and hidden tracks. The novelty attracted fans across the globe and the Lazaretto LP sold 40,000 in its first week.

As vinyl becomes more and more popular, thanks to artists re-embracing the medium like White, printing companies have been struggling to meet the demand.

Only about 12 record plants still exist in the United States, and thanks to the expensive nature of the machines needed to press vinyl no one is opening new plants.

The largest plant is located in Nashville, Tennessee. The United Records plant churns out roughly 30 to 40 thousand records a day. Still not enough to keep up with demand.

Even the increased demand for vinyl hasn’t outweighed the cost of opening a new plant. Until that happens, some artists have to wait weeks – even months – to get their records printed on vinyl.

Vinyl still isn’t anywhere near catching digital or streaming sales, but it has made its weigh back into the market, even with limited printing plants.

But if recent trends are any indication, soon the demand for vinyl music will outweigh the cost of supplying it.