The growing surge of fans purchasing physical music again has been a wonderful boost for the industry. The popular collection website Discogs has revealed that users cataloged a record number of pieces in 2024.
For even the newest collector, having a way to easily catalog and track the value of pieces is an important aspect of a growing inventory. Discogs has long served music fans in this vein, providing an easy-to-use platform that allows fans to search specific variants and releases as well as keep track of their purchases. Throughout 2024, as physical music sales continue to rise again, users uploaded a record number of new assets to the platform with an average of 2 million items added each week. Such consistent input helped the site see over 105.7 million new items cataloged throughout the year.
Topping the list of new additions was Taylor Swift’s latest release, The Tortured Poets Department, which experienced over 130,000 check-ins. That was followed up by Charlie XCX’s new release Brat seeing over 40,000 catalogs. For Discogs, it reveals the importance of the platform as well as gives a clear overview of the renewed interest in physical music.
The company’s Vice President of Marketing, Jeffrey Smith says, “Reaching 105.7 million records catalogued marks a significant moment for record collecting culture. Each record represents a deliberate choice — to hold a record in your hands, to own it, to listen to it with intention.”