Young buyers drive vinyl record revival at Abdul Razzak Fort shop in Mumbai
The vinyl record market in India has experienced a significant resurgence in 2024, driven by a younger generation of listeners seeking physical music formats. In Mumbai’s Fort area, shop owners like Abdul Razzak of the Royal Music Collection have witnessed this shift firsthand, as young customers increasingly turn to vinyl over digital streaming platforms.
According to data from market research firm IMARC, the Indian vinyl record market reached a valuation of $62.1 million in 2024. The market is projected to grow further, reaching an estimated $112.5 million by 2033. This growth marks a major turnaround for a format that nearly disappeared from the retail landscape decades ago.
Razzak, who established his store in the Fort area in 1979, noted that vinyl was once the dominant medium before being sidelined by cassettes, CDs, and digital streaming. After local production largely halted around 1990, Razzak observed the beginning of a revival around 2010. Today, his clientele increasingly consists of young people who grew up with digital music but now desire a tangible format.
The revival has also brought a shift in the types of music consumers are purchasing. While Indian vinyl sales were historically dominated by Bollywood soundtracks and jazz, retailers are seeing a surge in demand for electronic music genres such as house, EDM, and UK garage. Bachitter Singh, owner of the Delhi Record Shop in Hauz Khas, confirmed that younger buyers are looking for a much wider range of genres than older generations did.
For younger collectors like 17-year-old Netra Sonchhatra, the appeal of vinyl lies in the physical connection to the music and supporting artists. Sonchhatra, who discovers music through streaming platforms like Spotify, purchased a record by the band Inhaler after seeing them open for the Arctic Monkeys. She noted that vinyl offers a different experience from streaming, allowing listeners to actually own the music and appreciate the technology.
Pramod Sipamihalani, a partner at Pyramid Productions who performs under the name Sindhi Curry, has also observed this trend through his vinyl-focused event series, Wax On Wax Off. Sipamihalani stated that audiences are moving beyond the novelty of seeing a vinyl DJ to seeking a deeper understanding of the artists and the history behind the records. He attributed this interest to a desire to escape digital overload.
