I would imagine someone somewhere is making needles.

No doubt, and of course modern needles last practically forever.

I was thinking of the old osmium needles (anyone else here old enough to remember them?).

They came in little envelopes of a dozen for about a dime (yes, less than a penny per needle), and sounded great for about ten or twelve plays, after which you had to change needles. Most phonographs of that era had a little used needle cup recessed into the turntable base. This was supposed to prevent the expired needles from ending up elsewhere, such as someone's rear end, and that produced an old joke:

"When my mother was pregnant with me, she sat down on a phonograph needle, but it didn't affect me, it didn't affect me, it didn't affect me, it didn't affect me...."