Vinyl records increasing in value, Cedar City record store confirms
Dec 23, 2022, 2:00 PM | Updated: Jan 4, 2023, 10:58 am
Lisa Cretsinger, owner of Grouvalicios records in Cedar City. Photo: Brian Champagne, KSL NewsRadio
CEDAR CITY, Utah — Vinyl records were outmoded by CDs in the late 1980s. Most of us traded in our LPs or donated them. But now they may be round black gold.
The sound of a needle hitting a record groove is known by 18 year-old Jonathan Maldonado.
“I have a record player with big old speakers in my room,” said Maldonado. “I have a bunch of vinyls, and they’re really fun to put it on while I’m doing homework.”
Vinyl sales have been climbing since 1986, but Speakergy.com says they spiked 51% last year,
when CDs went up one percent. Vinyl doubles digital downloads, bought by as many 25 year–olds as 55 year–olds.
Fourteen year old Brianna Maldonado also buys records at Groovacious Records in Cedar City.
“It’s really cool, I like coming in and seeing all the music stuff,” she said.
Utah records
Groovacious carries new and used records. “We’ve been here in Cedar since 2000,” said owner Lisa Cretsinger, who lost her husband and business partner to cancer in 2016.
But she’s still selling the hundreds of CDs and thousands of records he amassed. She finds buyers all over the world.
“I don’t know if I should disclose this but I did sell a Radiohead record, an original, to someone in Japan for $1,300. And I had a Kate Bush 45 that I sold for $1,000. It was an Irish pressing and was really rare.” said Cretsinger.
To millenials like Nick Anderson from Logan, “It just sounds better. I love to put the record on when we’re having dinner and hanging out afterwards.”
“This is starting to be an elite format,” said Cretsinger.
If your attic has the original “Oingo Boingo” EP, that’s worth $6000 on eBay, “Introducing the Beatles” for $10,000 or Greek rockers “Naxatras’” limited new album for $15,000 Cretsinger said it may be worth digging in your attic.
“I think it’s worth looking at your vinyl. I think you can sell it for a lot if it’s in good shape and it’s rare and it’s in demand,” Cretsinger concluded.
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