The vinyl resurgence is alive and well in Baton Rouge

Gen-Xers are kicking themselves.

All those David Bowie and Beastie Boys albums that played on bedroom turntables are the hottest things going. They might have been tossed out in favor of cassettes, then CDs and later MP3s, but today vinyl has made a serious comeback. Millennials are gravitating to it in large numbers. Nostalgic former listeners are finding their way back to it. And collectors who never got rid of their LPs are saying, “See, I told you so.”

It’s not just used albums that have buyers salivating. Freshly pressed albums of current and past performers are emerging from recently opened U.S.-based record manufacturers. By the end of 2015, vinyl album sales had seen 10 years of consecutive growth, according to Nielsen’s 2015 Music Report. Last year alone, vinyl sales were up 30 percent as a wide range of listeners caught the fever.

“I really saw it this past year at Christmas,” says Dana Labat, owner of Capital City Records, an independent record store on Perkins Road near College Drive that opened in late 2014. “We sold a ton of albums and completely sold out of record players.”

Since the first quarter of 2015, sales have increased by 50% at Capital City Records, says Labat, 58, who opened the store after retiring from the chemical industry.

Labat says his clients represent a wide variety of demographics. “It’s all over the map,” he says. “I see young people getting into records for the first time, and they’re buying new artists, and then there are people who always stayed in it because they like the way it sounds.”

Album fans, he says, swear to a crisper, cleaner sound. He believes it’s most apparent when albums are played on higher-end equipment.

Atomic Pop Shop founder and owner Kerry Beary has seen similar sentiments in her customers.

“My youngest customer is 9, and she comes in to buy records with her dad,” Beary says.

Like Capital City Records, the Atomic Pop Shop carries new and used albums in a variety of genres. Beary and her staff also sell record players and offer advice to new listeners on what equipment to buy. There are a lot of mass-market record players available today at national chains, Beary says, and one of the biggest mistakes people make is going too cheap.

“An inferior product can really damage your records,” she says.

Audio-Technica is the entry level model she recommends.

This month, independent record stores around the country, including the Atomic Pop Shop, Capital City Records and 14 more in Louisiana, will participate in Record Store Day, a much-anticipated event among enthusiasts. Held this year on April 16, it features limited vinyl releases and promotional products sent to indie stores in small quantities. Record Store Day has taken place since 2008 and often has patrons camping out to be the first in line, says Beary.

“We hand out numbers like an old butcher counter,” Beary says. “You don’t want a mad rush when it comes to albums.” 

Related: Meet two local collectors who shared their vinyl collection with 225.

Where to find vinyl

Atomic Pop Shop
2963 Government St.
Funky Mid City shop features new and used records, record players, arcade games and BYOB live music and comedy on weekends.

Capital City Records
4641 Perkins Road
All sorts of new and used gems plus equipment in a store that was started by a music lover and longtime collector.

The Exchange
5104 Government St.
DVDs, CDs, vinyl and video games at this Mid City store that recently relocated from Broadmoor.

Lagniappe Records
313 Jefferson St., Lafayette
Formerly Baton Rouge-based store and DIY record label specializing in rare Louisiana 45s and 78s, world music and more. Also carries new and used equipment.

Purple Cow
6586 Jones Creek Road and 3651 Perkins Road
Vinyl records are among the racks at this multipurpose thrift store. You never know what you’ll find, and all proceeds benefit a local charity.

RecordRaid.com
Popular quarterly-ish record swap in shifting locations in New Orleans that attracts vinyl collectors from the Crescent City and Gulf Coast.