While I'm sure there are plenty of vinyl collectors out there with some Displates up, I feel like vinyl has a lot of elements that make its audience significantly broader (even excluding player owners) - mainly that it has a cultural history associated with it.
I also think people generally underestimate "potential playability" or aspirational record player ownership as factors in buying vinyl. A LOT of people who may never own a record player in their lifetime still think they might, & even if they don't their kids or grandkids might. Vinyl collections are heirlooms.
Anecdotal data from my Gen-Z daughter, currently a college freshman, is that they want the cover art. Her dorm room walls are decorated with vinyl albums in frames where they cannot be listened to.
I'd say it's varied & most often a combination of multiple things.
- They want the cover art
- They want a physical token representing an artist they like
- They want to financially support the artist in a direct way
- They speculate they might get a player someday (much akin to book buyers leaving books on their shelves unread for years on end)
1 of the above might be the primary driver for any given buyer but I'd assume all of the above play some part in their motivations.
Makes me wonder if bands produced something like a Displate wall hanging (no promotion intended) whether that would satisfy the same itches.
For my part, there's something visceral about owning a piece of "physical music", as it were, even if I never play it.
While I'm sure there are plenty of vinyl collectors out there with some Displates up, I feel like vinyl has a lot of elements that make its audience significantly broader (even excluding player owners) - mainly that it has a cultural history associated with it.
I also think people generally underestimate "potential playability" or aspirational record player ownership as factors in buying vinyl. A LOT of people who may never own a record player in their lifetime still think they might, & even if they don't their kids or grandkids might. Vinyl collections are heirlooms.
They want the expense without the inconvenience?
Anecdotal data from my Gen-Z daughter, currently a college freshman, is that they want the cover art. Her dorm room walls are decorated with vinyl albums in frames where they cannot be listened to.