When did CDs officially replace Vinyl Records as the popular music format?

[NoDivision]

As a child and then into my teens I had both a record player and cassette deck. (Although I got my first discman when I was 9, I maintained the record player and tape player in my room and both were heavily used.) My cassette deck was not portable in any sense, it was a stereo component, like this . So cassettes definitely weren't only a portable solution, but their portability did shoot them into higher sales for sure. They coexisted with vinyl, yes, but there were a few years in the late 80's/early 90's where cassettes were the leader of the pack. I know that cassette sales overtook record albums at some point in the 80s, and CDs didn't start outselling cassettes until the early 90's.  So it was a brief window, but cassettes definitely were the most popular format for a while.

Nowadays vinyl is definitely the music connoisseur and collector's choice. Most of my favorite bands have been doing cinyl releases their whole career, and I have a pretty good collection. The artwork is great, as are the records themsleves. Different colored vinyl, limited released, hidden personalized messages scratched into the center ring of the record - they're just so much more unique than CDs. I haven't bought in CD in years. I'm glad that many artists are including a digital download with records

[KierneM]

Here in Maryland, Wal-Mart had completely replaced the vinyl section by about Christmas of '93. They had a huge selection of cassettes and 'cass-singles', a big selection of CD'S, and some gift packs. I remember CD's had 10-11songs and were $25 after tax.

[Balto]

FWIW, I wasn't born until '95 so I never lived through the vinyl era, but as a crazy music collector I'm well-versed in this stuff.

Vinyl has never ceased to exist completely - however, from the mid-90s to mid-2000s it had very few fans due to the CD revolution and therefore record companies pressed very low numbers due to the very small demand. These records are often some of the most valuable contemporary releases with the recently found vinyl resurgence, which most say started around 2007 or so.

I'd say '92 to '93 was the big CD upswing. You had the portability of the cassette tape combined with a lot better sound quality. Cassettes began to see their downfall around then, but they still remained a competitor until around the mid-2000s.

Vinyl is definitely the "collector's choice" at the moment... in fact, I'm spinning an album as I type this. I've been collecting for about 3 1/2 years and have amassed bout 450 since then. IMO, they're the superior format as far as sound quality goes.

[Cumberbatch2012]

You've missed a step.  It went from vinyl records to cassette tapes, THEN to CD's.  They had both vinyl and cassettes for a few years in the 80's and early 90's, but then they started phasing out the vinyl in the late 80's, then phasing out the tapes in the early 2000's, and now they're phasing out the CD's in favor of iPods.

[Oneleo1]

I still have my record player from the 80's and several records. Genisis sounds great on record!!!

I remeber getting my first CD ayer and CD around '91/'92

[StoryDreamer]

Pink Floyd and Fleetwood Mac sound amazing on record.. I can't even listen to CDs of them now.

[GazeboMouse]

I've always wanted a Gramophone!
I love 1930's music like Fats Waller, but my fave CDs of his music aren't the 'Digitally Enhanced' version, but those with the warm crackle crunch noises on.
Those were the days! Not that I'm that old, but you know what I mean...

[LittleSpiffy]

I bought my first CD in '93 (I was 12).

It was Ren & Stimpy's You Eediot!: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Eediot!

I wish I still had it!

[tulagirl]

Goodness I still remember when records were all there was.  I remember the birth of the cassette tape and don't know when it was only that all of us were getting them as kids to go with our walkmans and such.  I can still see those record stores mom would take me into to get the 45's for my friends. That was a popular gift in the day because they had one or two of your favorites songs on each side.  They were cheap so kids could buy them. We had cases we kept them in. I had a case full of records in the 45 size.  So, it was records, 8-track tapes, Cassettes, CD's, Ipod style music devices.  Don't know the years.

Post Merge: November 09, 2013, 03:22:24 AM

Now you don't even need an Ipod because the Iphone and other devices can hold your music and play it.  Its so much better really. I like being able to buy a song I like rather than a record full of stuff I don't want to listen to.  I have to admit though, I miss records and my childhood record player.

[Neon Sparkle]

Pink Floyd and Fleetwood Mac sound amazing on record.. I can't even listen to CDs of them now.

I have actually been collecting Fleetwood Mac's music on various formats and that is kinda what inspired me to ask this question originally, lol.

I've been looking on eBay and I've noticed that there seems to be dozens of really cheap used copies of their albums up to Tango in the Night, and then something like the 1988 Greatest Hits or Behind The Mask go for more and aren't as plentifully available. The same with Michael Jackson. I kinda pegged 1987 to be around the time vinyl sales significantly dropped off because there doesn't seem to be as many used vinyls around from after that era.

[StoryDreamer]

My copy of Rumors came from the thrift store and um.. it was the first time I'd ever heard that album (I know, I know) and it sounds amazing even with crackle on vinyl. Like it was just MADE for vinyl.

Vinyl is amazing, and my city has like 6 vinyl stores so if you're ever in Cincinnati.. stop by them!

[Neon Sparkle]

I got the Self-Titled album and Rumours at a Flea Market a couple of years ago and they are actually super clean compared to some of the other stuff I have from the same era, hardly any crackle on them!

Most of the stuff I buy on vinyl tends to be from the 70's and 80's so looking for vinyl around my area tends to be a huge headache when having to sort through several decades worth of stuff just to find anything I've actually heard of, lol. I wish there were more vinyl stores around here.

[scarletjul]

When I was little, we had a record player in the living room and I knew how to use it but I 'd already relegated records to a "bygone" era, I guess ( this would be the late 80s.). The only thing my older sisters and my parents bought were cassettes.  I got my first Walkman (portable cassette player) at age 7, which was 1991 and my first CD player when I was 14.  Cassettes were big for a very long time and while records and 45s were still around, they became harder and harder to find - you could find them at places like Tower Records but not at Target.