Vinyl Sales Up – Is Vinyl Going Mainstream?
Record geeks rarely need a reason to feel smug, but vinyl hoarders worldwide had reassuring news the other week as Nielsen SoundScan released figures predicting that sales of proper, old-fashioned albums will top 2.8m by the end of 2009. This will mean an increase of almost 1m on last year and the highest annual figure for vinyl sales since SoundScan began tracking them in 1991.
Like we reported back in June the vinyl revival just continue growing stronger, Nielsen Soundscan reports that year-to-date vinyl record sales topped two million units last week, breaking the previous record of 1.9 million units last year. At the same point in time last year, SoundScan had tracked 1.5 million sales of vinyl records.
That’s a pretty impressive 37% year over year improvement and the Guardian Music Blog have been looking into the figures trying to figure out why vinyl record sales are soaring again, and while we earlier have written about the vinyl record as social object and a “distinction machine” becoming the preferred format for the underground, the niches and the edges, they point out that
while it’s true that record sales count for less than 1% of overall music consumption, what’s interesting is that buying vinyl is no longer the preserve of 12-inch mad DJs – the biggest growth area for vinyl is actually in country music, a genre not normally associated with the extended DJ Headcrab remix.
For them the “main event is happening away from specialist shops and right in the middle of the road – where record companies are selling the public albums they’ve already bought.”
What do you think? Is vinyl going mainstream?
Tags: vinyl records, vinyl revival, Vinyl Sales
December 3rd, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Certainly it's a chicken/egg thing as more classic albums are being reissued and new releases are being pressed on vinyl. I can paint oldies as well as current bands much easier now.
Playboy likes what I do: http://www.playboy.com/articles/mantrack-gift-g...
How much more mainstream can you get? ;)
December 3rd, 2009 at 6:05 pm
Congrats to you! Well done, not often you see vinyl or vinyl art in Playboy… :)
December 3rd, 2009 at 7:40 pm
As a format its' still holding it's own. What I would like to see is the region breakdown on the sales… I would be curious to see the sales regions compared to Internet / or computer / technology access.
Going forward, the issue is going to be less about sales, and more about supporting technologies for the playing of records and integrating them with new technologies via USB etc… until the hardware manufactures make a dedicated effort to bring vinyl products into their main offerings, it will always be at risk of being marginalized.
December 3rd, 2009 at 7:51 pm
As a format its' still holding it's own. What I would like to see is the region breakdown on the sales… I would be curious to see the sales regions compared to Internet / or computer / technology access.
Going forward, the issue is going to be less about sales, and more about supporting technologies for the playing of records and integrating them with new technologies via USB etc… until the hardware manufactures make a dedicated effort to bring vinyl products into their main offerings, it will always be at risk of being marginalized.
December 3rd, 2009 at 9:09 pm
While it is pleasant to see that vinyl sales are on the rise, I'm in with the camp of not being too carried away by these news. The 70s/80s are not coming back, in that sense – the convenience and portability of digital do suffice for most people out there, and most are not willing to put up with the extra commitment needed to play records. (I've even caught myself playing MP3s of stuff I have on vinyl). As a niche format, though, the outlook is pretty great and if it can thrive in that market and keep adding new converts who appreciate vinyl as a listening medium, sales will keep being healthy for a good time, I guess.
December 30th, 2009 at 11:00 am
For the average person here in the uk who lives in a town the only way to see new Vinyl records is ” On Line ” or maybe the odd few limited editions at HMV stores.
unless your a Scratch DJ, a Modern Soul / Northern Soul DJ then the average DJ has moved on to The Pionner CD/ MP3 machines or the memory card machines & or I pod docks.Ok there is vertual scratch, but this is not true Vinyl ! cos the music is converted to control an music file of MP3 !
lets face it in 2009 if you have experienced the Vinyl format by sombody showing you a well set up Tuntable of about
£200 with a good stylus setup properly then you will understand the Hi Fi aspect, of a good recording made on vinyl, its pure magic smooth ! , not to say CD is always Poor. with vinyl its science in motion, weel you can see it ! you cannot see a Laser Beam !
i think if enough people engage in Vinyl it has a Future providing people are willling to Buy & sell the 12″ & 7 ” disks !
February 17th, 2010 at 2:05 am
hey here is oly from canada and I think it will become in fashion soon or now cause Igot my vinyls out and the sound is much more real and I will now buy vinyls from now on comment please
February 17th, 2010 at 9:18 am
@oly vinyl rules :-)
February 22nd, 2010 at 10:24 pm
If all records came with, dig download like so many do now. and it came out about a week or two befor itunes. I think it would give the music biz a nice shot it the arm it needs