They have survived for almost 100 years.  The first threat to their existence came from reel-to-reel tapes, then 8-tracks and later from cassettes.  But vinyl records outlived them all.  Everybody thought their run had ended with the advent of CDs, which in the early 1990s far surpassed vinyl in popularity.

But a deep-rooted and underground cultural following helped vinyl records – older and bulkier than the recording formats that succeeded them – endure as a small niche market, and for ten straight years until 2003 manufacturers of vinyl records reported steadily increasing sales, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

If the last three years are any indication, however, vinyl records may have finally met their match in the form of the Internet and downloaded digital music.  As the online music market has taken off, U.S. consumer purchases of vinyl decreased from 3.2 million records in 2004 to 1.9 million last year, a staggering 41 percent drop, according to Nielsen SoundScan.  This dramatic decline raises the possibility that vinyl records will eventually stop being produced, especially considering how small a market they represent.  As time passes, why make something that fewer and fewer people want?

But New York City is the exception.  Here, vinyl has carved out a seemingly permanent niche.  A thriving subculture of vinyl collectors and aficionados persists, inhabiting New York’s multitude of vinyl stores and attending used-record fairs.  “I had a show in New York last fall, and I did great,” said a used-record seller who operated a record stand at the recent Underground Record Fair at CBGB Gallery, a venue in the East Village.  “I don’t know how long it will last.  It’s a tough call.”

The reason for vinyl’s ability to last in New York?  It’s likely a combination of several distinct but related factors such as sound quality, nostalgia, rarity and aesthetic preferences.

“I got kids coming in here at 16 years old asking me, ‘Hey, you got any Zeppelin on Wax?’” said Bob Abramson, owner of House of Oldies record stores in Greenwich Village.  “And I got people my age coming in asking for Johnny Mathis.  People just love the sound of vinyl, and the cover and the liner notes - it’s got a certain warmth to it.”

What further separates vinyl from other formats is the variety of sub-niches, each with different defining variables – musical genre, age and size of the records, and the intended audience.  There exists, for example, a unique market of its own for reggae music sold on 7-inch records for use by disc jockeys.  Other genres include noise, classic rock, hip-hop, and even disco. 

“It’s a niche I created here 25 years ago, a DJ thing,” said Charlie Grappone, who runs Vinylmania, a store with a large selection of disco records.  “And I’m still here, doing the same thing.”

Vinyl sells, But Who's Buying?
Click above or below to watch video from NYC's Punk and Underground Record Fair at the CBGB's Gallery