Vinyl Prices Are Rising in 2025 — and the Netflix–Warner Buyout and Artists Leaving Streaming May Be Driving the Shift

In 2025, vinyl records are more popular than ever — but they’re also more expensive than many fans have ever seen. Across record stores and online retailers, prices continue to rise, pushing collectors to rethink how they buy and own music. At the same time, two major forces are reshaping the physical music landscape: media consolidation following Netflix’s acquisition of Warner-controlled assets, and a growing movement of artists pulling their music from streaming platforms.

Together, these shifts are redefining the value of physical music — and driving renewed demand for CDs and cassettes.

Vinyl Is Still King — but It’s Becoming a Premium Product

Vinyl remains the dominant physical format in 2025, accounting for over 75% of all physical music revenue in the U.S. and generating roughly $457 million in mid-year wholesale revenue alone. Demand hasn’t slowed — if anything, pressing orders and production requests continue to rise.

But that success comes at a cost.

Pressing plants remain near capacity, raw material and logistics costs are higher, and limited manufacturing windows make vinyl more expensive to produce than ever before. As a result, wholesale prices are increasing, and retailers are being forced to pass those costs on to consumers.

What was once a $22–$25 new LP is now commonly $35–$50, especially for limited editions, color variants, or deluxe pressings.

Vinyl hasn’t lost demand — it’s gained prestige.

CDs and Cassettes Are Benefiting From Vinyl’s Price Pressure

As vinyl becomes more expensive, collectors aren’t abandoning physical music — they’re diversifying.

CDs: Affordable, Durable, and Quietly Resurgent

CDs have stabilized after years of decline and are showing renewed interest in select markets, particularly among younger buyers and budget-conscious collectors. CDs offer high-quality audio, liner notes, permanence, and affordability — often at half the price of vinyl or less.

Cassettes: Small Market, Explosive Growth

Cassettes remain a niche format, but their growth rate tells a bigger story. In early 2025, cassette sales increased by more than 200% year-over-year, driven by nostalgia, limited runs, and artist-exclusive releases. For fans priced out of vinyl, cassettes offer a low-cost entry into physical ownership.

CDs and cassettes aren’t replacing vinyl — they’re keeping physical music accessible.

The Netflix–Warner Buyout: Why It Matters for Music Prices

Media consolidation is playing a growing role in how physical music is priced and distributed. With Netflix acquiring Warner-controlled media assets, the priorities around physical formats are likely to change.

Netflix is a streaming-first company. Historically, it has not relied on physical media as a core revenue driver. When a streaming-centric company absorbs legacy content infrastructure, the logical outcome is a shift toward fewer physical releases, higher price points, and premium positioning.

For vinyl, this likely means:

• Shorter pressing runs

• Higher per-unit pricing

• Greater emphasis on “collector” status rather than mass accessibility

Physical formats don’t disappear — they become boutique products.

When streaming giants take control, physical media often becomes scarcer — and more expensive.

Artists Leaving Streaming Are Accelerating the Shift

At the same time, artists themselves are reshaping demand.

More musicians — especially independent and mid-level artists — are removing their music from streaming platforms, delaying digital releases, or limiting catalog availability. Low per-stream payouts and loss of control have pushed many artists toward direct-to-fan models, where physical sales matter far more than streams.

When music disappears from streaming:

• Physical formats become the only way to own the music

• Demand concentrates on limited physical copies

• Vinyl prices rise fastest due to production costs

• CDs and cassettes absorb displaced demand at lower price points

When music isn’t on streaming, physical ownership stops being optional.

Why This All Points to Higher Vinyl Prices

Vinyl prices aren’t rising for a single reason. They’re the result of three powerful forces converging:

1. Higher manufacturing and logistics costs

2. Corporate consolidation under streaming-first ownership

3. Artists reclaiming control by stepping away from streaming

Together, these trends push vinyl into premium territory while simultaneously reviving interest in more affordable physical formats.

Physical music isn’t fading — it’s being re-valued.

What This Means Going Forward

For collectors, this is a moment to expand beyond vinyl alone. CDs and cassettes offer value, ownership, and accessibility without sacrificing the physical connection to music.

For retailers, diversification is key. Vinyl remains the centerpiece — but CDs and cassettes are increasingly important for serving fans who still want to own music without paying premium prices.

And for artists, physical media is no longer just merch — it’s leverage.

In 2025, owning music matters again.Not because streaming failed — but because physical formats now represent intention, control, and value in a changing industry.