Vinyl records can last for many decades, with many hundreds of plays if you take proper care of your collection. Although records can be ruined in just one play if handled incorrectly – it sounds dramatic but it’s true!
Unlike a digital recording, there are more factors to be cautious of with your record collection, although the extra effort is worth it if you love the listening experience of collecting records.
If you’re wondering “how long do vinyl records last?” Then this guide gives an in-depth explanation and shares how you can protect your vinyl collection to maximize its lifespan.
How long do vinyl records last?
This is a common question, although the answer isn’t necessarily straightforward.
Because there are many factors determining the lifespan of vinyl records, it’s hard to give a specific answer.
Ultimately several elements determine how long records last:
How often do you play the record?
What was the quality of the vinyl in the first place?
Do you store your records in proper condition?
Is your turntable correctly calibrated? (Most importantly, the vertical tracking force.)
With proper usage and maintenance, vinyl records can last in good condition for many years.
Theoretically, if a record is stored correctly and never played, it could last several hundred years, as the PVC material (polyvinyl chloride) records are made from doesn’t self-degrade.
Yes, because a vinyl record is made of a physical medium (like tape), they eventually wear out.
On a microscopic physical level, the process of a record being played involves a fine needlepoint (aka ‘stylus’) being dragged through the tiny grooves. This creates friction when a record is played, which over time, will ‘rub out’ the information on the grooves.
Each playthrough slightly degrades the record (even if it is unnoticeable at first). The first thing to go is the sound quality – starting with high frequencies, as these are the most fragile areas of the grooves at the top of the channels (the bass is the deeper part and survives better.)
Scratches and surface noise also build up over time. This happens even quicker if you don’t handle records correctly, but there is a base level of this type of degradation that happens with normal use, although you will hear it is only very low.
Close-up of a scratched record (that’s, unfortunately, causing skipping).
Ultimately, it all depends on how well you look after your vinyl and how often you play them.
Other contributing factors also modify the amount of wear created:
The weighting of your cartridge, with heavier cartridges wearing vinyl quicker.
The heat of the environment, with hotter temperatures, makes the vinyl more prone to degradation (and warping).
Finally, treating them roughly (DJ-style scratching, not cueing properly, bouncing the needle) will wear them out quicker and is more likely to create audible scratches.
How many times can you play a vinyl record?
Again, the exact number varies massively. This is a wide topic, and the answer is always contingent based on the treatment of records and the turntable calibration.
Before we get into the subject of how to make your vinyl record collection survive longer, let’s look at what affects the wear and tear of your records.
Is your turntable stylus and tonearm calibrated correctly?
The lifetime of a record is greatly affected by the type of stylus and cartridge used.
If you’re using a cheap record player, it probably uses a low-quality stylus with a subpar design that causes quicker wear.
Cheap record players also generally lack an adjustable tonearm with a calibratable counterweight, often pressing down too hard on the record’s surface.
The counterweight is a central part of the calibration process and lets the user control the amount of pressure applied to the record through the tip. (This is called vertical tracking force).
If the stylus point is pushed into the record’s grooves too hard, it wears them down rapidly and degrades the vinyl record more quicker.
How well made is the vinyl record, and what is its quality?
Audio quality varies from one record to the next. Several factors can influence the quality of a record, in turn affecting its lifetime.
Manufacturing Quality
Each vinyl factory is unique, and whilst the basic process for how records are made is the same, there are many areas where quality differences occur.
Factories might use slightly different processes, people with differing experiences, different material compositions, and even storage techniques.
Some factories rush the manufacturing process to meet deadlines, resulting in lower audio quality and other imperfections in the pressing.
Other pressing plants put more care into the pressing process, with a higher level of quality control, ensuring that only high-quality records leave the doors.
In the audiophile community, some members have preferred pressing factories and even see themselves as ‘loyalists’ to certain pressers. That said, it’s hard to know where the best records come from without years of research and experience, and this often comes through word of mouth.
A PVC “biscuit” about to be pressed into a vinyl record. Photo Ⓒ Korea Times – Choi Won-suk.
Material Quality
Back in the vinyl industry’s golden years, factories wouldn’t necessarily use purely new PVC for pressing records and would often use recycled vinyl.
Albums that didn’t sell would be melted down and mixed with new PVC to be made into fresh cuts. (Although, due to the scale of manufacturing, this is a rarer practice today.)
Records that are made with recycled PVC are regarded as having a lower, noisier quality compared to purely new vinyl. It’s also reported to affect the strength, as recycled PVC is weaker and less friction-resistant.
Weight / Thickness of record
In the 1980s, record companies tried to lower the production costs of vinyl manufacturing to increase their profit margins. One large difference was cutting down the amount of raw material used in each pressing, creating thinner, lighter records. As a result, vinyl became flimsier, weaker, and more easily damaged. This makes them more prone to becoming a warped record…
There is no official standard for the weight of a record, although on average, an ordinary 12” LP weighs around 120g.
You’ll find that lots of albums are released as special editions on 180g vinyl, but how far this goes to make a record last longer is up for discussion.
Diamond and sapphire, two of the world’s toughest natural minerals, are the most common materials used in styluses, so you won’t have to worry about changing them too often.
The more you use the turntable, the quicker the stylus will wear down. After 150 or 200 hours of use, most manufacturers suggest replacing your stylus. However, the longevity of certain more costly styluses can be over 5x that amount.
It’s important to note that using a record player with a damaged or worn stylus is a terrible idea and will likely murder the quality of your record collection. Always use a stylus in good condition, and replace them if they start causing issues. Fortunately, most cartridges let you replace just the stylus rather than the whole cartridge, saving you some expense.
Can you extend the life of a stylus?
Yes. Simply taking care of your turntable’s stylus and your records will go a long way toward extending their longevity.
Dust and grime in the grooves of a record, for example, can potentially wear a stylus and degrade the sound quality if it causes excessive friction.
Not only should you clean your records regularly, but you should also clean the stylus itself. This is done easily with a stylus cleaning brush or even more effectively with stylus cleaning gel and fluid.
Cleaning my stylus with the Onzow gel-based needle cleaner.
Calibration is also important, as you want to avoid exerting excessive pressure on the stylus by having the counterweighting set wrong.
Too much force will cause the stylus to go blunt quicker, limiting its reproduction abilities and increasing the chance of damaging your wax. (Check out this guide for a deeper explanation of this process → how to properly set up your turntable.)
How can I make my vinyl records last longer?
Looking after your records and gear is essential for preserving your vinyl collection’s life.
Maintain your equipment
Earlier I emphasized the importance of giving your stylus and counterweight proper attention, well, it’s equally important that you maintain your turntable (and use a good deck too!) The quality of turntables you use to spin your wax can affect the wear and tear of a record.
If you want to keep your records spinning for years, ensure your tonearm has a counterweight and a quality stylus. For new record players, anything ranging from roughly $200 should be fine enough.
Clean your records regularly
This process is often massively overlooked by new collectors when it should be done regularly. If you keep your records clean, they will have much better survivability(and clean them correctly – not just with a dirty old t-shirt).
Dirty vinyl records degrade far more rapidly than clean ones. Before and after each listening session, give them a good clean, at least with a brush to remove the dust and dirt build-up.
Storing records correctly (Temperature and Humidity)
Storing records with good care is also important. Keep your records in an area that isn’t too hot or cold and doesn’t have too much humidity or dust. Also, keep them out of direct sunlight.
If the temperature reaches 60C (140F) and above, vinyl records begin to soften, making them more likely to warp and become unplayable. At the same time, storing them in an excessively cold environment makes them go brittle, which can cause them to break. Between 65° and 70°F is the ideal temperature for archiving records.
This can be quite a vast topic, so check out my full guide for more info → Storing vinyl records.
Storage Solutions
Besides the overall environment, the storage system used is also important. Whether you use shelving, crates, or boxes, just make sure you don’t pack them in too tight. And NEVER stack them like plates, or you’re just asking for warp in the entire stack – always keep records upright.
Always keep records in their sleeves/dust cover and in an extra poly outer sleeve if you want to keep the album jacket in good condition.
Also, make sure you pick inner (AND outer) PVC-free sleeves to avoid your records becoming tainted with a thin layer of PVC and ruining them. That’s, unfortunately what happened to this rare Japanese promo copy of AC/DC’s Back in Black.
Damaged vinyl record on the left (compared to a regular one) with PVC having transferred off a storage sleeve onto the record surface.
How many times a vinyl record can be played depends on how they’re looked after.
The short answer is, theoretically, that a vinyl record can be played an unlimited number of times, although the sound always degrades a tiny bit over time.
A well-maintained record (played with a quality, calibrated cartridge) could last over 100 times or more with just a slight deterioration in sound quality. Although, it is possible to ruin a record in one spin if you don’t handle your vinyl correctly.
In terms of how much music a record can store, there is no hard and fast rule, although there are certain guidelines. If it’s made to industry standards, a 12″ vinyl has an average playing time of 23 minutes of music per side.
Much of this depends on the speed the record is pressed at. You can find out more in my guide on the differences between record sizes and speeds.
