Reviving the groove: Kelowna in a spin over vinyl

When the doors opened at the Kelowna Music Collectors Show, a huge crowd of collectors and music lovers swarmed the venue.

Close to 200 people showed up at the Ukrainian Catholic Church before 10 a.m. Sunday to find their treasures.

“I do other record shows in the province and Alberta, and for me, I don’t think I’ve seen an attendance crowd like this in the Kelowna show ever. It’s remarkable,” organizer Rob Scafe told Kelowna10.

That crowd of ‘early birds’ according to Scafe, are people on a mission. They’re trying to find that one record they desire for their collection, in a hall of over 15,000 records, among 30 vendors.

And it wasn’t only the older enthusiast on the hunt for something special, many young people there also looking as the popularity of vinyl has skyrocketed lately. It has become the more popular choice to listen to old and new music.

“There was maybe a little bit of a time where the interest in vinyl dropped off, and what’s happened now there’s a lot more people getting into the vinyl. It’s all analog music. It’s by far the best sound,” Scafe said. “Maybe it’s a parent influence, they can see their mom and dad’s collection. And the thing about vinyl, you can hold it in your hand, open the gatefold, there’s pictures, stories.”

According to the U.S. 2022 Luminate Year-End Music Report, vinyl albums outsold CDs in the U.S. and is the leading format for album purchases for the second straight year. Over 43 million vinyl albums were sold last year, up 4.2 per cent from 41.7 million in 2021.

Scafe added the rising popularity of the records is the nostalgia feeling people get when they see something that reminds them of the old days.

“It’s the stimulation of memory. You’ll find a lot of people and they’ll say ‘awe man I had that record when I was 15 years old and it was the best,’” Scafe explained. “All of a sudden now they’ve got a great stereo in their living room or basement, and they want to have that album back in their collection.”