Vinyl Comes Up Stronger in 2018

Once again, yearly vinyl album sales have hit another Nielsen Music-era record high, as the configuration sold 14.32 million in 2017. That’s up by 9 percent from the previous one-year high, registered in 2016 with 13.1 million. Nielsen Music’s 2017 tracking year ran from Dec. 30, 2016, through Dec. 28, 2017. Numbers in this story are rounded. Nielsen Music began electronically tracking music sales and data in 1991 (so a reference in this story to the “Nielsen era” means from 1991 to the present). Vinyl LP sales represented 8.5 percent of all album sales in 2017 – up from 6.5 percent for the configuration’s share in 2016. Further, LP sales were 14 percent of all physical album sales in 2017, up from 11 percent in 2016. The sales were driven by an array of titles and not just a handful of hot sellers. In total, 77 different titles each sold more than 20,000 copies on vinyl LP in 2017, as compared to 58 in 2016 with rock music accounting for 67% of all vinyl album sales. More than $200 million was spent by record collectors on Discogs in 2017, new figures released by the music marketplace have revealed. More than 10 million records were sold via the site last year also, an increase on 2016's figures of 8.3 million - BBC reports. One of those records was a rare 7" vinyl copy of The Beatles 'Love Me Do' which was the most expensive record sold on the site in 2017 at $10,502. The record was one of just 250 copies pressed with Sir Paul McCartney's name spelt incorrectly, reading "Paul McArtney". An 11-disc box set from Pet Shop Boys 'Yes' was the second most expensive item sold on the site last year at $7,337. The popularity of vinyl on Discogs reflects increasingly healthy sales figures for vinyl in the mainstream and new music market. The site has also released figures for the first quarter of this year covering January - March. Tresor's 2017 repress of the back catalogue of cult electro label Scopex and WRWTFWW and Palto Flats' reissue of Yasuaki Shimizu's Kakashi took the top two spots for best-sellers on the site during that period. Top 20 best selling vinyl variations 1. Various Artists – Scopex ’98-’00 – 4xLP reissue 2. Yasuaki Shimizu – Kakashi – LP reissue 3. Ryan Adams – Live At Rough Trade – Limited LP 4. Solid Space – Space Museum – LP reissue 5. Gorillaz – Demon Days – 2xLP Club Edition reissue 6. Velly Joonas – Stopp, Seisku Arg! – 7” 7. Andrés – New For U – 12” 8. Prince And The Revolution – Purple Rain – LP allied pressing variant 9. Daft Punk – Random Access Memories – 2xLP reissue 10. Stardust – Music Sounds Better With You – 12”, etched 11. Tracy Chapman – Tracy Chapman – LP 12. Shame – Songs of Praise – Limited sky blue LP 13. The Breeders – All Nerve – Limited orange LP 14. Khruangbin – The Universe Smiles Upon You – LP reissue 15. Dream 2 Science – Dream 2 Science – LP reissue 16. Leafar Legov – Family – 12” EP 17. Camelphat & Elderbrook – Cola – 12” 18. Panda Bear – A Day With The Homes – Limited 12” EP limited 19. Greta Van Fleet – Black Smoke Rising – 12” EP 20. Madonna – True Blue – LP reissue 2017 marks the 12th straight year of growth in vinyl album sales. The format continues to increase in sales as more new and classic albums are issued on vinyl, promotion from retailers like Amazon, Urban Outfitters and Barnes & Noble, as well as annual vinyl-oriented celebrations like Record Store Day. The official figures have been released, and they indicate a resounding success story for vinyl around the world with numbers for RSD (Record Store Day) 2018 smashing all previous records since its inception in 2007. With the vinyl resurgence seemingly showing no signs of slowing down, the reports are in that the 11th annual Record Store Day yielded the third-largest weekly numbers around the world for vinyl record sales since they first started tracking them back in 1991. With both the U.S. Nielson Music Report and Official Charts Company in the U.K. noting that it was the most significant event in the history of the day with sales jumping up 16% from the previous RSD in 2017. Billboard reported that the landmark day helped to yield a whopping 800,000 vinyl albums sold that week in the U.S. and U.K combined! The widely celebrated day, which is precisely aimed at helping independent record stores, saw 580,000 of those unit sales coming from the indie retailer sector alone, without which would have seen a drop in sales of 2.5% overall instead. David Bowie’s Welcome To The Blackout was the top-selling album in the UK, followed by Arcade Fire’s self-titled LP, and Pink Floyd’s The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Bruce Springsteen’s Greatest Hits was the top-selling album in the US, followed by David Bowie’s Welcome To The Blackout, and Neil Young’s Tonight’s the Night Live at the Roxy. India too chimed into the RSD 2018 festivities. The Revolver Club reported astounding figures as well with 9.5 lakhs in 2018, a substantial increase from 2 lakhs in 2017. With over 800+ customers visiting the store, the sales were split 70:30 between the new and old titles.  The RIAA reported that for the first time since 2011, physical music sales such as CD’s and vinyl records were higher than digital sales in 2017. Streaming continues to dominate the industry with popular streaming music services such as Apple Music and Spotify. It's clear that Record Store Day will only continue to grow and benefit the small businesses around the globe who are pouring their heart and soul into keeping the magic of vinyl alive.