Whole Foods Capitalized on Vinyl Trend by Offering 12-Inch Records of Daft Punk, The Rolling Stones, and More

Whole Foods is already the hip place to buy food that's free of cruelty and genetic modification. So the question from a business perspective become, what products does the company try to stock next to appeal to its average customer. The answer seems to be vinyl records. Whole Foods announced this week that it would be stocking a select number of 12-inch LPs in a trial run at five of its California locations.  Among the records being aimed at Whole Foods customers include selections from Frank Sinatra, The Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, Daft Punk, The Arcade Fire, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Tegan and Sara. The chain will also sell "reclaimed" wooden headphones from LSTN.  "Whole Foods Market is excited to scratch the surface of the music industry by introducing vinyl records and LSTN Headphones for our shoppers who want to turn the volume up on their regular music listening experience," said Mike Bowen, a company executive coordinator. "This launch isn't just about stocking our shelves with something new and different - it's about listening to our shoppers and giving them access to the things they want - whether it's their favorite cheese or their favorite way to enjoy music." Although the music industry continues to struggle in the age of digitalization and mp3s, vinyl records have shown upswing over the previous few years. Vinyl sales have increased 27.9 percent during 2013 from last year, according to Digital Music News. Other chains have preceded Whole Foods in offering music, including Starbucks and Urban Outfitters, which offers both vinyl and CD.