Jack White is adamant he and his company Third Man Records saved vinyl records from becoming obsolete.

Former White Stripes rocker Jack has long been a vinyl enthusiast, and owns his own pressing plant in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan.

Although the format’s popularity has risen in recent years, the advent of CDs and downloadable music caused vinyl sales to plummet at the turn of the millennium, just as Jack’s band were gaining popularity.

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And the 42-year-old says he, his indie rock contemporaries and his company are largely responsible for the revival that has happened since.

“At that time, vinyl records were almost completely gone,” Jack told The Guardian . “House music and DJs were keeping them alive. The Detroit garage rock scene – and the Hives, the Strokes, the Vines – were a little breath of fresh air for guitar rock and it was our duty to help save vinyl. A lot of that is due to an insane amount of effort from Third Man Records.”

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Asked if he was right to claim credit for the resurgence in vinyl sales he added: “Oh, there’s no doubt about it. People were thinking we were being old-timey, retro and cute. But our point was: this is a format that really makes sense for music lovers. It’s the only part of the music industry that’s rising in sales.”

In 2014 he became the first man to send a vinyl record into space. However, despite being one of the most outspoken advocates for analogue music formats, Jack says his devotion is mainly due to him being a contrarian.

“If the world had been into analogue, I would’ve said I loved digital,” he said. “As an artist it is your job not to take the easy way out. I want to be turned on when I listen to an artist speak: I want them to show something that no one else is doing.”

The rocker’s latest solo album Boarding House Reach debuts on 23 March.