The Rareform Rundown: Music, Media & Sync
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Why Vinyl Keeps Growing + A Look Back At How Sound Was Captured

Why Vinyl Keeps Growing + A Look Back At How Sound Was Captured

Nathan Fields
March 20, 2026

The Rareform Rundown #105

Hello Friends,

Nathan here. Hope your week’s been treating you well so far. Wherever you’re reading this, I hope you get a second to slow things down for a minute and reset a bit.

Just wanted to drop in and share a couple things we’ve been looking at this week. First, a quick look at how vinyl keeps showing up, crossing the billion-dollar mark while still finding its place alongside streaming. Then, a really interesting example of modern audio being recorded through an early 1900s phonograph, putting into perspective how sound was captured back then.

Let’s dive in!

New projects + music we are looking for

PROJECTS

Excited to share that my track Electric Blush, a collab with Trey Anderson, was featured in this spot for Sirat!

Another one for Toyota Motorsport! Hyped to share that the instrumental version of our track Apocalypse by Kendra Dantes was featured in this spot!

Another month, another update to the Rareform On Rotation playlist. Sharing a few tracks we’ve been vibing to lately, tap in and take a listen!

Rareform on Rotation

Handpicked tracks from artists we love. Vibe with us @RareformAudio

Vinyl keeps showing up. The latest numbers are in, and the format just crossed the billion-dollar mark in the U.S., with sales continuing to climb year over year. It’s been a steady run, and clearly people are still buying in.

At the same time, it says a lot about how people are listening. Streaming is still leading the way for access, but vinyl fills a different lane, something you can actually hold onto. It also gives artists and labels another way to release music, especially with special editions and catalog drops that keep older records in rotation.

There’s a balance happening between digital and physical, and both seem to be working side by side.

If you’re curious, read more on our blog.

Vinyl Sales Cross $1 Billion, Reinforcing Strength of Physical Music Market

U.S. vinyl sales surpassed $1B in 2025, marking 19 straight years of growth. With strong releases from Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, and enduring catalog hits like Fleetwood Mac and Michael Jackson, vinyl remains a powerful force in music. #Vinyl #MusicIndustry #RIAA #TaylorSwift #PhysicalMedia

www.rareformaudio.com/blog/us-vinyl-sales-1-billion-2025-growth

There’s been a growing curiosity around how sound used to be captured, especially as more creators start revisiting analog methods alongside modern workflows.

In this blog, it shows an example of a modern track being recorded onto a wax cylinder using an early 1900s phonograph. It’s a process that really puts things into perspective. Sound isn’t treated as something you edit later, it’s captured as it happens, physically carved into the surface in real time.

Everything is mechanical. The audio travels through a horn, hits the recording head, and a stylus cuts those vibrations directly into the wax. No software, no adjustments after the fact, just the raw performance translated into a groove.

Seeing it play out like this gives a different appreciation for how recordings were made and how much precision it took to get it right in one pass.

Tap below for more insight!

Wax Cylinder Recording: Revisiting the Origins of Physical Sound

A look at wax cylinder recording using a 1905 Edison phonograph to capture a modern track. This fully mechanical process shows how sound was once physically etched in real time, offering insight into the origins of recorded audio and its relevance today. #AudioHistory #SoundDesign #MusicProduction

www.rareformaudio.com/blog/wax-cylinder-recording-edison-phonograph-modern-audio