Vinyl record sales double in '08, CDs down

03.01.2009

He said the biggest genres of music he sells are classic rock, pop or new hip-hop albums.

It's not just the vinyl that's selling. Phipps pointed to a large stack of boxes containing turntables that have been upgraded with USB ports that can be used to transfer LP music to digital mediums. Today's turntables are a pricier, however, than they used to be. A can run as much as $6,200. Even run as high as $150,000. But take heart, a simple , or can still be bought for a little more than $100.

According to MusicDirect's Bizar, a decent player should now cost about $350. For that, you'll have a turntable for life, he said.

Audiophiles who haven't listened to an LP lately will likely find that the quality of sound on today's albums surpasses that of the old-school vinyl of the 20th century, according to Bizar and others.

In the 1980s, companies pressed vinyl into records weighing 120 grams. Today, records are thicker, weighing in at 180 grams -- and they're recorded with more sophisticated electronic equipment, Bizar said.