Vinyl sales in Billings’ record store rising rapidly

Billings, Montana – Anything from Pink Floyd to Taylor Swift can be found at Cameron Records on Central Avenue. Since the shop launched in 2019, it has annually experienced a record-breaking quantity of sales.

TJ Goodwin, the proprietor of Cameron Records, is not surprised that vinyl record sales just outpaced CD sales nationwide.

“At any given day, we’ll have between 10 and 15 thousand records in the store,” Goodwin said.

Vinyl record collectors will find a home at Cameron Records, giving this venerable hobby new life. In the United States, record sales last year exceeded 40 million, according to Goodwin.

“This has not just been an uptick over the last couple of years, it’s grown 10%, 14%, 15% over the last few years. It’s been exponential,” said Goodwin.

His own shop has witnessed that expansion.

“It’s driven not just by people who love records, but young people who have never experienced the format,” Goodwin said.

Lance Lundvall, a resident of Billings, witnessed the demise of vinyl when CDs and even cassette tapes started to replace the technology, and he expressed excitement over its return on Monday.

“If you had asked me if records were going to be popular 20 years ago, I would have laughed ‘cuz you couldn’t find them anywhere,” said Lundvall.

It sounds like music to him right now. Lundvall only recently began collecting records; as of now, he has more than 500. Nearly every week, he visits Cameron Records to add to his collection.

“I’ve always got the option to play my phone for my music as well. But to me, there’s nothing like turning on the turntable and sitting back and relaxing and listening to music,” Lundvall said.

He seems to not be alone, as the record collection now caters to all tastes.

“What’s neat about vinyl records now is it’s no longer just old classic rock that’s on vinyl. Now almost every new release comes out on vinyl,” said Goodwin.

Records are selling well, and Goodwin is confident that this trend will continue.

“When someone only grew up with digital music, they don’t have that physical music identity. And I think that’s why vinyl is so popular with young people. It gives them a musical identity that they can show physically,” Goodwin said.