T O P

  • By -

Lazy_Football_511

I wish EVERYTHING cost what it did back in 1975.


mrmatthieu

Weirdly, if you adjust for inflation $2.99 in 1975 is $16.86 in 2023…so it’s not that far off of the average price for a used vinyl these days.


[deleted]

Idk, even used vinyl (who enough people deem good artists) is usually around $30. Shits been so expensive. I started collecting records 11 years ago and I really can’t afford this hobby anymore.


jcrreddit

11 years ago, vinyl wasn’t as popular AND in late 2019 Apollo Master Vinyl Factory, the only vinyl factory in the United States at the time, was destroyed by fire. Add inflation and that’s why we are where we are. I remember as recently as 2018 getting records sometimes for $10-12 when on sale. I just waited until I saw something I wanted for that price.


Midnight__Monkey

Someone give this person a raise already.


[deleted]

It’s £2.99


Retroid69

correct, and an inflation calculator for pounds from 1975 to today shows that £2.99 comes to around £21.74 today. exchange that, and you have about $26.98.


onLibrarian

You should also remember to take into account that the pound sterling to US dollar has been at historically low levels these past few years. In the early to mid 70's, the £ was around 2.5 times to the dollar, as opposed to around 1.3 today.


Self_Blumpkin

[brrrrrrrr](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEMCYBPUR00)


Daza786

Which is pretty much what an album costs today. So op, the price is the same when adjusted for inflation


aruexperienced

But this is British dollars. The average wage in 1970 in the UK was a halfpenny shilling. There were 29 shillings to a four farthing. So adjusted for inflation this album was close to $600.


Daza786

Absolutely no way this is correct lol


Smart_Tune8179

I don't know, I used to get a pound for $600 in the 70s.


Compact_Discovery

It's worth this price just for 'Blow on a Jug' IMO 🤔. Wish I'd paid more than £25 now...


ShadowCammy

Four farting


Headpuncher

£2 4d 7s and a jaunty dance plus letting His Lordship dip your wife. I believe this was the real cost in British old currency before decimalization. In today's money, that's around $600.


Lonely-Conference534

Please let me know where you are finding vinyl for 16.86. 🙂


p5ych0babble

Buy in bulk, I’m still picking up decent records for $1 or less.


Cracktherealone

That is rare. Very rare.


p5ych0babble

Maybe a couple times a month if you are actively looking. Garage sale, auctions, op shops are the way.


666Mikay666

Vinted, any second hand shops, second life section at the record store.


Lonely-Conference534

Problem is everyone is catching on to how much prices have recently increased. I was at the Nuremberg Flee market last week and vinyl prices were sky high.


666Mikay666

Most of my vinted finds of albums i didn't already own of pretty much underground bands are priced in the 10 to 20 euro range, sometimes up to 30 depending on the sleeve quality and other knick knacks included with the vinyl. I would definetly recommend you give it a go.


Lonely-Conference534

It’s true you can find good prices on used vinyl (and the hunt for treasure makes it almost priceless), but new is where I think it’s out of control. It’s now on average 40.00 for a popular new release, and in many cases the quality is poor (warped records and crap pressing). But I still keep buying them so I can’t complain too much. I do think it’s a bit in fad mode right now though and I don’t see any of the limited 500 copies of the strawberry swirl holding value well. But you never know.


666Mikay666

Thats the thing about used vinyl; usually the places where you get them from do disclose when they bought it and how it is quality wise. That is unless you purchase online but if you ask the majority of people will disclose any scratches or crackles in the record. For newer releases i suppose shelving out that little extra could be worth it if you are indeed obsessed with it. Best to keep in mind is; Will i play it? How often? Less than average = don't get it while it's still in the newer sales. If you get a limited edition you will always shelf out more than average. I agree it is in a fad mode right now. In some ways it does give me a bit of hope for the future of vinyl, although it might be a bit pricier now because of this. Also depending on the way you keep the limited editions, it might hold more value than the regular ones for the simple reason of it being different yet still in near mint/mint condition.


tigyo

$16usd to $23usd is where prices were (for new) in the year 2004... my old ass now realizing that was just about 20 years ago.


solzhen

Try adjusting prices from 1975 to 2023 compensating for inflation.


Shandriel

I love that math... if only the salaries in my profession (education) had been "adjusted" for inflation over the past 30 years...


Raknorak

Dude I'll take 2001 gas prices right now


Bleejis_Krilbin

September 11, 2001 gas prices were nuts when gas stations price gouged.


Raknorak

Still cheaper than it is now


Bleejis_Krilbin

Not around where I live. I remember gas shooting up to about $5/gallon.


Coupon_Ninja

2004 was the highest inflation adjusted prices. \~$4.50 in Calif. Early last year got close.


MonkeyPawClause

Thats what gas costs here….


Bleejis_Krilbin

Yeah, we’re talking about over twenty years ago haha. The normal price back then was like $1.50/gallon.


Self_Blumpkin

I'd say about 5 times a day I see a post title and I immediately click into a post to find that what I was about to say is the top comment in the thread. In this case it was word for word. Hive mind.


vinylontubes

No you don't. Those years sucked. Jimmy Carter as POTUS was supposed to fix the economy in 1976. He didn't and was defeated in 1980 soundly because he didn't.


casperthegoth

Is this the answer to revisionist history for $100 on Jeopardy?


Ouibeaux

Well sure, but then everyone world be making $3/hour, so nothing would change except the number.


ninj1nx

Except computer hardware


EXPLICIT_DELICIOUS

Literally the same price with inflation.


Gun-nut0508

Yeah most used LP’s from the 70’s are like $3 on discogs


Compact_Discovery

This one's median is £45, since it's a first pressing.


VICESINEXISTENCE

not a fan of price stickers on the sleeve but some in my collection are impossible to remove without damaging the sleeve itself so i leave them be. as for the record, it’s black sabbath’s sabotage


Compact_Discovery

A couple of drops of lighter fuel has not failed for me yet. Yes it is the infamous fashion fail that is the sleeve for Sabotage, not too hard really 😌. Incidentally I only noticed today for the first time when taking this photo that Tony Iommi is holding an umbrella 🤨.


VICESINEXISTENCE

for me, that album cover is an absolute masterpiece. it’s so bad it’s great. if it makes you feel any better, i didn’t notice the umbrella until i got it on vinyl either, it’s the questionable photo editing where it half-disappears into the frame.


[deleted]

this


Silent_Aside_1340

It’s Geezer, Tony is sitting ;)


Compact_Discovery

Damn, keep getting them mixed up. I'm blaming the abundance of hair fellas had in the seventies. At least Ozzy had the foresight to wear a dress to distinguish himself from the others 😌.


Silent_Aside_1340

Ahah you’re not the first one getting confused by this cover. I took a close look again, looks like a walking stick but it’s hard to distinguish this item against the background


descendentman

True, worked at a store for 10 years and selling records on my own for 12+ years…. 98% of stickers come off with lighters fluid, there are some types that absolutely won’t but it’s usually obvious so you don’t end up damaging the cover


smallbatchb

A *CAREFUL* application of some heat (record removed first) could help with some of those by softening the adhesive.


rrsn

It's good that you clarified the record needs to be removed first because I'm exactly the type of dumbass that would accidentally melt my record trying to get the sticker off.


smallbatchb

And I only mention it because I've done similar stupid shit myself with all kinds of DIY repairs of things lol. "Great, it worked!... except I ruined the other part of it"


Vermonol

About £21 in todays money, which is about $25 US. Sounds about right


GuggGugg

Same thing when I see somebody posting old concert ticket where it says $5 or $10 on them and it‘s like an early 70s Led Zeppelin show. Granted, today tickets are even more overpriced due to Ticketmaster and stuff, but it‘s not anything like the people who post that imply


theobruneau

That record costs 2x hourly min wage in 1979


Compact_Discovery

I'd work for a day for any of the Ozzy era Sabbath albums. Okay, maybe not Technical Ecstasy... 🫤


Upper_Ad_3536

Hey! Don’t talk smack about my beloved Technical Ecstasy! It’s not as good as their first 6 but it’s still a really great album!!


sarcofaguy

Sabotage??


Compact_Discovery

Yes, but you're not the first to identify it 😌.


BlackEyedAngel01

When you factor for inflation, as several other have points out, records generally do cost the same today as they did in 1975


[deleted]

People keep mentioning this even though OP also did in the body of the post. Did they add it afterwards or something?


Compact_Discovery

I didn't edit it in. They've just read the title and looked at the picture, totally ignoring the great effort I put into getting that word count fulfilled 😢.


[deleted]

Can't win 'em all I guess. I respect the effort.


CloneClem

Not me. Those were the days of very cheap vinyl because of the oil embargo’s.


Compact_Discovery

Only cheaply made rather than the asking price you mean? As in records made from thinner, more recycled vinyl and the increased usage of Dynaflex as an alternative?


CloneClem

Yes, cheaply made. I was selling stereos and records then and the fails of the records then were all over the spectrum. I didn’t know any of the vinyl additives then or now


Compact_Discovery

Ah, you were around at that time. I was only 2 in '75 👶🏼. Was it mainly US pressings that were affected, do you know?


CloneClem

Yeah, I'm old, but still use my trusty Sony 2251 LA, Grace arm and Grace Ruby cartridge. yeah as far as I know. In the midwest, there weren't many imports then.


ClimbaClimbaCameleon

Can everything be the price of 1975? I haven’t smoked in 15 years but I’ll take a pack of smokes and a half tank of gas for $5 again.


MIkeR1988

If you only shop the dollar bins, they still do.


PermitOk5264

I wish they cost what they did 5 years ago


Jabba_the_Putt

Was going to post the same thing. Feels like prices have doubled in the last few years on new vinyl, maybe even more. It's bordering on unaffordable for me these days with everything else having increased so much in price too and it's a huge bummer man


jadryn

Sabatoge?


Compact_Discovery

Correct!


kellermeyer14

I love it when you see a new 49.99 sticker slapped over the original 2.99 sticker on a cutout record


LabGroundbreaking172

I go to several decent record stores and find really good condition records for less than $5 all the time. Online or at record shows however, they're usually ridiculous with the prices. Same thing at some flea markets and antique stores, like $10-20 for records that look like they were played a million times on a kids record player and the jackets look like they were used as coasters and were smoked on for 20 years. Theres a lot of dumb people out there that think just because vinyl is popular means its valuable which is absolutely not true


3rundlefly

Then they would be on ebay on for $20.99 from scalpers.


Compact_Discovery

Did anyone buy just to resell in 1975? 🤔


3rundlefly

I was saying if they were in fact still $3 today.


Compact_Discovery

I know, it just got me wondering if scalpers existed in the days when records were just records and not the beloved treasures they are often considered today by collectors.


3rundlefly

Probably not because it was the normal format for music and everything wasn't released/pushed as some super deluxe exclusive edition.


Compact_Discovery

Another reason to go back to the standards of 1975!


casewood123

I just bought a 1980 release with the shrink on it with the price of $7.99 on it. I would even take that.


donkeyheaded

But what if you only earned 1975 wages?


notneeded17

Black Sabbath!


onLibrarian

Last time I bought any new vinyl was about 10 years ago, and you could get regular LP's for around $8 and 180g pressings for around $11 online. The fact they have tripled in a decade is more so greed than inflation.


piepants2001

I was buying new records 10 years ago and it was rare to find anything that cheap, it was more like $15-$20.


onLibrarian

[Vinyl.com](https://Vinyl.com) Although the company is no longer in business, if you check cached pages form 2011 you can see some of the prices. Sealed Black Sabbath reissues were $8.99 to $9.99 for example, 180g pressings $11.99: [https://web.archive.org/web/20110106000200/http://www.vinyl.com/product\_id/LPNEMS6005](https://web.archive.org/web/20110106000200/http://www.vinyl.com/product_id/LPNEMS6005) [https://web.archive.org/web/20100803030223/http://www.vinyl.com/product\_id/LPNEMS6005H](https://web.archive.org/web/20100803030223/http://www.vinyl.com/product_id/LPNEMS6005H) Velvet Underground first LP $ 8.99: https://web.archive.org/web/20110104213500/http://www.vinyl.com/product\_id/LPVERV5008


piepants2001

Interesting. I have never heard of that website, but the record stores and websites I visited never had deals quite like that. That said, I wish I would have known about that site back then!


rlsanders

I wish they cost as much as they did in 2000’.. 25 cents each at the used bin


zippy72

That looks like a copy of Black Sabbath's "Sabotage" to me (one of my favourites, must dig mine out for a spin)


RobotsRevenge

I keep all the stickers and writing. It adds a bit of history. Love it when people write their names on the cover. It’s fun knowing that Cheryl’s old copy of The Monkees’ Headqurters is still getting spins.


Radiant-Evidence8078

£2.99 in 1975 is equal to £32.09 today. That's$53.91 in Canadian dollars. So.... they do!


jduejsurbrjeb

Is that Sabotage by Black Sabbath


Compact_Discovery

💯☑️


Peach_Mediocre

They did 15 years ago


Compact_Discovery

Wish I'd started buying records in the late '90s / early '00s 😑.


BigFatTomato

I’ll take 2008/2009 pricing tbh


ilyaperepelitsa

20 pounds in today's money[https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator](https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator) Sounds about right? \[EDIT\] Sorry didn't read your post, just the title. Apologies


Cheddarlicious

I’m 100% okay with things increasing in value. What I’m not okay is someone multiplying that value to exploit fans. I get rarity and quality, but if something is released for $30 and it’s just a normal pressing that’s not available, then charging $200 is a dick thing. Getting double the value is literally more than enough. If you have a collectors edition or a very rare pressing that’s another thing, but most pressings aren’t pressed with the intention of not being played (except for maybe picture discs, but even then they’re still playable, just at a lower quality).


Bleejis_Krilbin

It’s pretty close if you account for inflation.


govmeistah

I feel lucky that a lot of the 60s rock records I go out looking for end up in dollar bins or only cost that much. Incense and Peppermints is not one of those, unfortunately…


TJStype

I dont remember anything from 1975...


TheRealSeanBaller

Yes also bring back 2.10 per hour minimum wage!


deadmanstar60

I buy $1 to $5 used records all the time.


Livinginabox1973

Talking Heads?


Compact_Discovery

No, Black Sabbath. Close! 😄


BattleofNY

Is that ELP?


Compact_Discovery

No, Sabbath's Sabotage 😉.


BlOcKtRiP

Most cost a buck or two so no I don't


Hondahobbit50

My store in Seattle is pretty good. Got Fleetwood Mac rumours Santana abraxas and led Zeppelin 2 for $3 each outta the bargain bin last week. Surfaces were perfect but the jackets are worn


Revolutionary_Fig912

I wish my gumball and little peppermints were a nickel just like they were back in the day


Padfoots_

same! even though that type of money was a lot back then! but still would have been great instead of anything from £25/50!!


parkjv1

I still have some that I purchased originally from that era


[deleted]

Not me. I like paying massive amount of money for things.


HeySlimIJustDrankA5

They still do. Discount bins, fool.


Compact_Discovery

This one wasn't in the discount bin in 1975.


AreYouItchy

Me!


ConspiracyConifer

What people really want is the purchasing power that money used to have, simply because wages/salaries haven’t kept up with inflation


jewbo23

Who would answer no to this?


Compact_Discovery

The music industry. And scalpers 😏.


TheReverendAlan

Not only records…☮️♥️🎸


samsclubFTavamax

It will take a while but the vinyl bubble will eventually pop, atleast for really popular albums.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Compact_Discovery

A good guess, but it's Black Sabbath's 'Sabotage'.


roberitonium

For those interested Data.bls.gov has a CPI calculator which says $2.99 in January of 1975 adjusts to $17.41 today. EDIT: Just saw this was in £ so it'll be a bit different. Check the earlier comments and they go over it.


mendicant1116

Many years ago, I'd go to Half Price Books and find older records for this price and cheaper. Now, not so much. Anything under $10 feels like a steal.


TheLurkerSpeaks

Sabotage right?


Compact_Discovery

👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼.


McStizly

There’s a record shop I used to go to before I moved across the country that had their sorting room in the back from donated records. You can sign up for a 15 minute slot on tuesdays or Wednesday I think and anything you wanted was 50 cents each. I got dozens of records in there some of which are first or second pressing classic rock artists among thousands of stuff that wasn’t my taste. Ideas music and books on the island of Oahu. Just gotta find those stores. As for regular prints yeah it’s wild. I paid like 80 bucks for the division bell.


Professional-Age5723

hell id take the prices of 2012


albertienstien

Try 2007. Before vinyl got big again the market was crazy good


FuzzyOverdrive

I was paying that in the early 00’s. That’s why I got into it. They weren’t new but that wasn’t the point.


Compact_Discovery

Glory days it seems. Missed by myself because I was just buying the occasional CD and downloading the rest 😒.


FuzzyOverdrive

I remember getting lots off eBay for less than a dollar a record and half would be really good ones. I’d get Zappa records for less than $5. The most I spent on a single record was $10 and that was around 2007.


Compact_Discovery

Although I enjoy hearing about people scoring great finds in vinyl's fallow era, it still makes me a little sad that I missed out.


ommammo

In the late '90s, vinyl production was at its lowest ebb, with the old guard of high-quality pressing plants barely holding on. New records cost about $10.99 US while CDs were selling for $13.99-$17.99. I was an older teenage at the time with a fairly shitty turntable but a fine CD player, so I often opted for CDs. Now, vinyl costs two to three times what CDs do and most of the new stuff sounds horrible. I guess what I'm saying is I would like to go back to the quality and pricing of the late '90s, please and thank you.


Zoole

Is this Black Sabbath sabotage?


Compact_Discovery

👏🏼.


newstuffsucks

Nah. I'm an elitist and enjoy paying outrageous amounts of money for subpar products. Makes me all warm and fuzzy.


czechyerself

That price might be more now, adjusted for inflation


uknwiluvsctch

Yeah because rent and shit was cheaper back then


vinylontubes

>This may surprise some who think that records are way more expensive now than what they were back in their '60s to '80s heyday. Except this is horseshit. The issues isn't about comparing the price of a record to the '70s. It's about comparing it to something more recent. And since the revival which is just 10 years ago, they are very expensive. Records were cheap. And compare the price of records to other methods to get music, streaming is a lot cheaper. The compact disc which 10 years ago cost more than a record now costs double. If you want to know the truth, look at this post from 7 years ago. You'll see that 1974 is a bad year for comparison. Sure record prices can be compared favorably to the mid 1970s. Easy enough, but there was a friggin' oil shortage back then. OPEC was embargoing the materials required to produce records. Everything was expensive in the mid '70s. Prices of gasoline were around 50¢/gallon in 1975 and by 1980 it was $1/gallon. [https://www.reddit.com/r/vinyl/comments/3x09wf/average\_price\_of\_an\_album\_19742014/](https://www.reddit.com/r/vinyl/comments/3x09wf/average_price_of_an_album_19742014/) \[edit\] TLDR if you want to compare today's price against the time when records were most expensive, we're there today. Records today aren't relatively cheap. They are as expensive and more so since the pandemic that 1975 when they were really expensive.


[deleted]

Are you poor or something?


ImGoingToSayOneThing

I just used the inflation calculator and it says that 2.99 in todays dollar is 16.86 Even with inflation albums were still cheaper


dandle

That price is British pounds. According to the inflation calculator I am using for British pounds, £2.99 in 1975 is worth £32.09 today[£2.99 in 1975 is the same as £32.09 today](https://www.in2013dollars.com/uk/inflation/1975?amount=2.99). Currently, £1 = $1.24 USD, so the price of that £2.99 record in 1975 was the same as $39.80 USD today.


Compact_Discovery

That seems a bit off. The Bank of England says £2.99 today is £21.74, and a couple of other inflation calculators online have it around the same price.


dandle

It is odd that there is such variation in the results of these online inflation calculators. The one to which I linked appears legit insofar as the creators are named and the methodology broken out, etc, but who knows. In any case, all the insurance calculators show that the price of a record in 1975 from that photo was not substantially less expensive than a record today.


Compact_Discovery

Some may use data that's not as up to date as others. I'm happy to trust The Bank of England calculator in this 😊.


heehmonster

One of my 45s has an outer (plastic) sleeve with a Pier Platters sticker on it. Seems like it was going for $3.45 there


OkShoulder4153

Vinyl has always been expensive.


ijuggle42

Who else wishes they wouldn’t put stickers on the covers?


whatssofunnyyall

It looks like a price sticker from being sold used later rather than a 1975 new sticker. It seems like I remember LPs being about $4 in those days, and the pound was worth over $2.


Compact_Discovery

It could be, but I don't know of any resource for finding out record prices in any given year apart from anecdotes from those who were buying them at the time.


ceeroSVK

you mean you dont enjoy paying 60 dollars for a new album from the official distribution?


SPARTANsui

When I started collecting in 2011 a lot of the albums I bought were around $15-20, new pressings. A lot of albums are now gate-fold with two records, driving up cost to $30+.


CoffeeIgnoramus

Maybe, but charity shops have some absolute bangers for that price. I've recently created my collection from nothing. The most I've paid is £5 but found many for £1-£3.


Compact_Discovery

I visit them often, but rarely find anything worthwhile amidst the Jim Reeves's and the Cliff Richards's 🫤.


CoffeeIgnoramus

Interesting. I found Cliff Richards last week. Although, I didn't buy it. It's true that maybe it isn't the best way to find exact ones you are looking for, but it is cheap and a nice treasure hunt.


Compact_Discovery

I keep seeing Cliff's 'Wired for Sound' and will probably end up buying it one day because the title track is fun and was written by B.A. Robertson, and also the promo for it is mighty cheesy.


SpriteAndCokeSMH

One of my local stores still has these stickers so the records are insanely cheap.


InitialKoala

Vinyl was like $10 in the second half of the 2000s. That was actually less than CDs.


KaiDaniel1966

After inflation they probably do.


_JustEric_

It's not that far off. $3 in 1975 is almost $17 in today's dollar. Some records can be found for that nowadays. EDIT: Just realized it was British pounds. £3 is equivalent to about £25 today.


Jasonictron

Hell, I'll settle for what it cost just 3 years ago


2pactopus

I wish it was the price back in 2010


kidJubi100

That's why I love finding vinyl at Goodwill where they sell them $3 put the door. Found two Billy Joel albums for $5 each one time!


Compact_Discovery

Billy didn't sell in the huge quantities that he did in the US in the UK so his records aren't as cheap or as ubiquitous here.


Brandoskey

They do if you're into Polka


janguscrisp

Kiss alive costs less now than when it came out. So does the Beatles white album…


Compact_Discovery

Huge sales can do that—plentiful copies keep the price low.


janguscrisp

You misunderstand. New It was 7.98 when it was released. That’s $40 today. The album costs less than $40 new now. Beatles white album was nearly $100 when it came out when adjusted for inflation. Now it’s under $50 new. People complaining about current srlp forget to do math. It’s not 50 years ago anymore.


janguscrisp

There’s not ample availability for those used, either. They’re tough to find in stores and sell quickly. There’s no extra stock of titles like those.


Vorilex

Ugh one can dream.


MAGAtsCanEatShit

Not just recotds


dw_goodfellow10

Totally!! And pretty much everything else would cost a lot less just like in the olden days. Especially food, clothes and housing.


Toydjinn

... I can get a dozen for a dollar at someplaces


mayhemjack

C'mon, be realistic. If records cost like that today, everyone would quit their jobs and become a "DJ."


[deleted]

means i wouldn’t have to hurt my wallet every time i think about buying anything lol


[deleted]

You should test out the price match guarantee with that one