Record Store Day 2014 coincided with Easter and whilst children enjoying Easter Egg Hunts, adults young and old were busy with Vinyl Record Hunts.

According to the BBC, a survey conducted to coincide with Record Store Day 2014 indicates that 1 in 10 young people has bought a CD, vinyl record or music cassette tape in the last month. The research suggests that physical formats are still more popular than digital downloads: in the last year 57% of the people surveyed had bought a CD, while only 39% had purchased an MP3 download.

The survey of 2,030 people was conducted between 11th and 15th April by ICM Group and graphically indicates the popularity of physical music formats is in part down to their collectability. Apparently 15% of people buy CDs, vinyl and cassette tapes with no intention of ever listening to them – they are purchased simply to own the physical copy.

Maurice Fyles, who undertook the research ahead of Record Store Day, explains: “There’s definitely a novelty value with cassettes at the moment, particularly as we suspect a high proportion of them are collectibles sitting on a shelf and never played. Over half of the people who do this bought a vinyl record, 48% a CD and 23% an audio cassette tape that they have no intention of ever listening to.”

Interestingly he continues: “This behaviour is particularly common with young people, with more than a quarter of 18 to 24-year-olds buying music just to keep the physical copy. Although we can store our music on a PC or in the Cloud, a large proportion of music buyers continue to purchase physical formats with MP3 files as an add-on.”

Maurice Fyles adds: “Perhaps it’s a reaction to the digital world, but physical formats that we might have thought were relegated to history are being revived as fans and collectors opt for limited editions and promotional copies of their favourite music across a range of formats.”

The 18 to 24-year-olds were responsible for the growth in the popularity of vinyl in 2013, but this year it’s believed that 25 to 34-year-olds have driven the increase in vinyl record sales.

Simon Sterland, Record Press Blog author and owner of online framed vinyl record gift retailer MyFirstRecord.co.uk, confirms this trend for under 35 year olds buying contemporary and vintage vinyl: “When we established MyFirstRecord.co.uk three years ago, we expected to attract a demographic audience / market from the over 35s who had grown up with vinyl. We have been pleasantly surprised to find that over 65% of our customers are in the under 35 category”.

He continues: “It seems that in the era of the invisible music download, the youth market also seek something more tangible when buying music. Vinyl appeals to all the human senses, particularly hearing, touch, smell and sight. It would appear that although the youth market find the music download an expedient and cost effective way to buy music on a day to day basis, vinyl holds a special place in their hearts. Therefore when looking for a special gift for a friend or relative for an 18th, 21st or 30th Birthday or a wedding gift, they are turning to MyFirstRecord.co.uk to provide a framed vinyl copy of a favourite song or in the case of a wedding, a vinyl copy of the bride and groom’s first dance song”.

Celebrate the phenomenon of the vinyl record in your home or office, by ordering your favourite vinyl record; single, album or album cover; framed and mounted as a picture disc souvenir. You can also personalise it with an inscribed / engraved plaque……

ORDER NOW…….. www.myfirstrecord.co.uk/

Framed vinyl records, framed CDs and framed DVDs with a personalised plaque, make unique presents or original gifts for a special celebration / special occasion ie a Wedding ( Wedding First Dance Song ), an Engagement Party ( Our Song ), a House Warming Party ( New Home ), a 21st, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th Birthday ( How about the No1 song on the day of birth? ), a Silver, Ruby or Golden Wedding Anniversary, Father’s or Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day!! THE PERFECT PERSONALISED PRESENT!!