I made this video because I keep hearing the same tired lines: “vinyl is a fad,” “it’s just boomers and hipsters,” and “kids only buy it for the colors.” I get the concern—especially the idea that once the generations who grew up with records are gone, who’s going to keep spinning them? But I’m not worried, and the numbers (yeah, I know… numbers) back that up. Vinyl sales have grown for 18 consecutive years—less than 1 million records sold in 2006, and 44 million in 2024. That’s not a fad. That’s a trend with real legs. What really matters, though, is who’s driving it: Gen Z. They were born when vinyl was supposedly “dead,” yet they’re buying records monthly, showing up for Record Store Day, and—this part surprised me—many of them say they want vinyl specifically as a break from digital life and to improve their mental well-being. I also share my favorite parallel: streaming is the automatic transmission of music listening—frictionless and convenient—while records are the manual transmission. Vinyl demands engagement, presence, and intention. And the generation that could have written it off forever? They’re choosing it anyway.