Records are booming again, here's why and where to go record shopping in Cape Town

Vinyl TikTok is its own beat. On the popular streaming app, there exists an entire niché dedicated to record lovers sharing their collections. It’s only different in comparison to how people once shared their music loves back in the day, in that instead of going over to a friend’s place to check out the licorice pizza, it’s happening online.

@ethan_martinsonLet me have fun ##vinyl ##vinyltok ##fyp ##swag ##record ♬ DaBaby X Radiohead – !!

According to publication In The Know, the rise of Vinyl TikTok has also brought upon the world another ‘striking phenomenon’ that of surging record sales.

“For the first time in decades, vinyl is actually more popular than CDs”.

Of Vinyl TikTok, it seems that the community has spurred growth for the love of rocking with records, “inspiring new, young music fans to start their collections.”

@recordtechnicsI swear this record is beautiful ? ##fy ##fyp ##foryou ##vinyl ##records ##recordcollection ##vinyltiktok ##vinylcheck ##vinylcollection ##outkast ##stankonia ♬ original sound – Record Technics

Vinyl Tik Tok has curated 48 million views to date- and that’s just on the hashtag, #vinyltiktok alone.

The individual videos range between sky-high numbers, and any lover of tangible music can smile proudly at the younger generations marveling at what was once quintessential in music.

What can you expect to find on Vinyl Tik Tok?

If you were to type Vinyl Tik Tok into the explore page, you’ll find:

Tips on how to take care of your records and record player
How to start up your collection
Viynl aesthetics and colour pressings (heart-shaped records, ‘tye-dye’ styled vinyls, luminous spins as well as all the different kinds of record players ranked on aesthetics and quality.
Old and current music! (It’s a wonderful alternative way to get some new music inspiration too, as so many of our current superstars and upcoming artists have gone onto vinyl. Their records are as as visually gorgeous as they are phonically. You’ll find the likes of Billie Eilish, Frank Ocean, and Lil’ Peep sitting alongside ACDC and Michael Jackson.
Essential questions, like if your house was on fire which records would you save?
A community of people to share your love of records, and teach you a few new tricks so you don’t sound like a broken record yourself.

Now, if you happen to get very into vinyl Tik Tok and want to grow or start your own collection, here are some places in Cape Town where you can grab your records.

Mabu Vinyl (the same store featured in the film Searching For Sugar Man!)

Website: mabuvinyl.wordpress.com