Vinyl revival
The Vinyl revival is the renewed interest and increased sales of vinyl records, or gramophone records, that has been taking place in the Western world since about 2007.[1]
The analogue format made of polyvinyl chloride had been the main vehicle for the commercial distribution of pop music from the 1950s until the 1980s and 1990s when they were largely replaced by the Compact Disc. Since the turn of the millennium, CDs have been partially replaced by digital downloads. However, in 2007, vinyl sales made a sudden small increase, starting its comeback, and by the early 2010s it was growing at a very fast rate. In some territories, vinyl is now more popular than it has been since the late 1980s, though vinyl records still make up only a marginal percentage (<6%) of overall music sales.[2]
Along with steadily increasing vinyl sales, the vinyl revival is also evident in the renewed interest in the record shop (as seen by the creation of the annual worldwide Record Store Day), the implementation of music charts dedicated solely to vinyl, and an increased output of films (largely independent) dedicated to the vinyl record and culture.
Though many sales in vinyl are of modern artists with modern styles or genres of music, the revival has sometimes been considered to be a part of the greater revival of retro style, since many vinyl buyers are too young to remember vinyl being a primary music format.[3]
In November 2014, it was reported that over one million vinyl records had been sold in the UK since the beginning of the year. Sales had not reached this level since 1996. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) predicted that Christmas sales would bring the total for the year to around 1.2 million. However, vinyl sales were still a very small proportion of total music sales. Pink Floyd’s The Endless River became the fastest-selling UK vinyl release of 2014 – and the fastest-selling since 1997 – despite selling only 6,000 copies.[4]
History
In Canada and the United States
In 1988, the Compact Disc surpassed the gramophone record in popularity. Vinyl records experienced a sudden decline in popularity between 1988 and 1991,[5] when the major label distributors restricted their return policies, which retailers had been relying on to maintain and swap out stocks of relatively unpopular titles.
First the distributors began charging retailers more for new product if they returned unsold vinyl, and then they stopped providing any credit at all for returns. Retailers, fearing they would be stuck with anything they ordered, only ordered proven, popular titles that they knew would sell, and devoted more shelf space to CDs and cassettes. Record companies also deleted many vinyl titles from production and distribution, further undermining the availability of the format and leading to the closure of pressing plants. This rapid decline in the availability of records accelerated the format's decline in popularity, and is seen by some as a deliberate ploy to make consumers switch to CDs, which were more profitable for the record companies.[6][7][8][9]
In the United Kingdom
Similarly in the United Kingdom, the compact disc surpassed the gramophone record in popularity in the late 1980s. This started a gradual decline in vinyl record sales throughout the 1990s.
Sales
Countries | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Global Trade Value $US (SP&LP) |
$55m | $66m | $73m | $89m | $116m[10] | $171m | – | – | – | |||||||||
Australia (SP/LP) |
10,000 | 17,996[11] | 10,000 | 19,608[12] | 10,000 | 53,766[13] | 13,677 | 39,644[14] | 13,637 | 44,876[14] | 21,623 | 77,934[15] | 10,069 | 137,658[16] | 277,767[17] | 374,097[18] | ||
Germany (SP&LP) |
400,000[19] | 700,000[20] | 1,200,000[20] | 635,000 (LPs only) |
700,000 (LPs only)[21][22] |
– | – | – | ||||||||||
Finland[23] (SP&LP) |
10,301 | 13,688 | 15,747 | 27,515 | 54,970 | 47,811 | 72,480 | 82,313 [24] | – | |||||||||
Hungary (LP) |
2,974[25] | 2,923[26] | 3,763[27] | 1,879[28] | 8,873[29] | 9,819[30] | 14,719[31] | 24,132[32] | – | |||||||||
Japan (SP&LP) |
324,000[33] | 212,000[33] | 102,000[33] | 105,000[33] | 210,000[33] | 453,000[33] | 268,000[33] | 401,000[33] | 662,000[33] | |||||||||
Netherlands (LP) |
– | – | 51,000 | 60,400 | 81,000[34] | 115,000[35] | – | – | – | |||||||||
Spain (LP) |
– | 40,000 | 106,000[36] | 97,000 | 141,000[37] | 135,000[38] | – | – | – | |||||||||
Sweden[39] (SP&LP) |
11,000 | 22,000 | 36,000 | 70,671 | 101,484 | 168,543 | 200,008 | – | – | |||||||||
United Kingdom[40] (SP/LP) |
1,843,000 | 205,000 | 740,000 | 209,000 | 332,000 | 219,000 | 219,000 | 234,000 | 186,000 | 337,000 | – | 389,000 | – | 780,000 | – | – | – | – |
United States (LP) |
988,000 | 1,880,000[41] | 2,500,000[42] | 2,800,000[43] | 3,800,000[44] | 4,600,000[45] | 6,100,000[44] | 9,200,000[44] | 11,900,000[46] | |||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
2012 Vinyl LP Charts
Annual Best Selling LPs in the USA
Year | Album | Artist | Sales |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | In Rainbows | Radiohead | 25,800[56] |
2009 | Abbey Road | The Beatles | 34,800[56] |
2010 | Abbey Road | The Beatles | 35,000[57] |
2011 | Abbey Road | The Beatles | 41,000[58] |
2012 | Blunderbuss | Jack White | 34,000[58] |
2013 | Random Access Memories | Daft Punk | 49,000[59] |
2014 | Lazaretto | Jack White | 87,000[59] |
2015 | 25 | Adele | 116,000[46] |
Graphs
-
Global vinyl sales in US$
-
US vinyl sales in units
-
UK vinyl sales in units
-
UK vinyl sales in UK£
-
British consumer spending on music formats
Vinyl in the media
Films
Title | Year | Country | Company |
---|---|---|---|
I Need That Record! The Death (Or Possible Survival) Of The Independent Record Store | 2008 | United States | Unsatisfied Films[60] |
Last Shop Standing | 2012 | United Kingdom | Blue Hippo Media[61] |
Sound It Out | 2012 | United Kingdom | Dogwoof[62] |
Vinylmania: When Life Runs At 33 Revolutions Per Minute | 2012 | Italy | Pongofilms[63] |
Vinyl Record strikes back | 2013 | Mexico | CCfilms |
Black Canyon – Faszination Vinyl | 2014 | Germany | Jürgen Backhaus/Galileo Music Communication[64] |
Television
Title | Year | Country | Company |
---|---|---|---|
The Joy Of The Single | 2012 | United Kingdom | BBC[65] |
Radio
Title | Year | Country | Company |
---|---|---|---|
The 12 Inch Single | 2012 | United Kingdom | BBC[66] |
78 Revolutions | 2011 | United Kingdom | BBC[67] |
On New Year's Day 2012, British radio station BBC Radio 6 Music, solely broadcast music on the vinyl format, with records coming from the collections of presenters and DJs.[68]
Record Store Day
Record Store Day is an internationally celebrated day observed the third Saturday of April each year. Its purpose, as conceived by independent record store employee Chris Brown, is to celebrate the art of music.[69] The day brings together fans, artists, and thousands of independent record stores across the world.[70]
Record Store Day was officially founded in 2007[69] and is celebrated globally[69] with hundreds of recording and other artists participating in the day by making special appearances, performances, meet and greets with their fans, the holding of art exhibits, and the issuing of special vinyl and CD releases along with other promotional products to mark the occasion.
In 2013, for the week of Record Store Day in the United Kingdom, 68,936 records were sold (an 86.5% rise from 36,957 in 2012). This can be broken down into 1,249 7" albums, 25,100 12" albums, 27,042 7" singles and 15,545 12" singles.[71]
Charts
UK Official Record Store Chart
The Official Record Store Chart is a weekly music chart based on physical sales of albums in almost 100 independent record stores in the United Kingdom.[72][73] It is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), and each week's number one is first announced on Sunday evenings on the OCC's official website.
The chart's launch was first announced by the OCC on 17 April 2012[74] – at the time, British record stores were selling 4.5 million albums per year, and were contributing towards 95 per cent of the country's total vinyl sales.
References
- ↑ "The rapacity of the record revival". 11 August 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑
- ↑ "Your turntable's not dead". 13 July 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ Lee, Dave (27 November 2014). "Vinyl record sales hit 18-year high". BBC News. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
- ↑ Sources vary on the actual dates.
- ↑ Browne, David (October 4, 1991). "A Vinyl Farewell". Entertainment Weekly (86).
- ↑ Souvignier, Todd (2004). The World of DJs and the Turntable Culture. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 41–42. ISBN 978-0-634-05833-2.
- ↑ Negativland. "Shiny, Aluminum, Plastic, and Digital". Retrieved 2008-11-06.
- ↑ Plasketes, George (1992). "Romancing the Record: The Vinyl De-Evolution and Subcultural Evolution". Journal of Popular Culture. 26 (1): 110,112. doi:10.1111/j.0022-3840.1992.00109.x.
- 1 2 15:59, 26 Mar 2012 at; tweet_btn(), rew Orlowski. "CD: The indestructible music format that REFUSES TO DIE". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ "ARIA releases 2007 wholesale music sales figures". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ ARIA – 2009 Sales
- ↑ ARIA – 2009/2010 Sales
- 1 2 ARIA – 2010/2011 Sales
- ↑ ARIA – 2012 Sales
- ↑ ARIA - 2013 Sales
- ↑ ARIA - 2014 Sales
- ↑ ARIA - 2015 Sales
- ↑ Musikindustrie – BVMI official figures
- 1 2 "German Biz Eyes Growth In 2011, Hopes To Top U.K.". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ online, heise. "Musikindustrie: Online-Dienste wachsen, CD-Verkauf schrumpft mäßig". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ Miz – Musikwirtschaft
- ↑ "Musiikkituottajat - Tilastot - Äänitteiden vuosimyynti". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ "Musiikkituottajat - Tilastot - Äänitteiden vuosimyynti - 2014". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ MAHASZ – 2007 Sales
- ↑ MAHASZ – 2008 Sales
- ↑ MAHASZ – 2009 Sales
- ↑ MAHASZ – 2010 Sales
- ↑ MAHASZ – 2011 Sales
- ↑ MAHASZ – 2012 Sales
- ↑ MAHASZ – 2013 Sales
- ↑ MAHASZ – 2014 Sales
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "The Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ)". www.riaj.or.jp. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
- ↑ "Marktinformatie audio 2014 en voorgaande jaren - NVPI". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ "3voor12 - Verkoopstijging vinyl grotendeels te danken aan Record Store Day". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ Promusicae – 2008/2009 Figures
- ↑ Promusicae – 2010/2011 Figures
- ↑ DE LA MUSICA 2012_WEB_ok.pdf Promusicae – 2011/2012 Figures
- ↑ Andersson, Aron (7 May 2014). "Så har vinylförsäljningen fått nytt liv". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ BPI – All UK figures 2007–2013
- ↑ "Radiohead, Neutral Milk Hotel Help Vinyl Sales Almost Double In 2008". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ "Vinyl LP Sales Up 33% In 2009". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ "Vinyl Sales Increase Despite Industry Slump". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- 1 2 3 "HITS Daily Double : Rumor Mill - THE FALL & RISE OF THE VINYL ALBUM". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ "Digital Music News". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- 1 2 2015 NIELSEN MUSIC U.S. REPORT
- ↑ "German Biz Eyes Growth In 2011, Hopes To Top U.K.". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ "Revival on the Black Market: Editorial". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ "Building a House of Wax in Cleveland". The New York Times. 23 October 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ "U.S. Vinyl Record Sales May Be 6X Higher Than Soundscan Reports". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ "SoundScan may be under reporting US vinyl sales - Complete Music Update". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ "Increase in vinyl sales helps independent music stores - NewsWire.co.nz". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ Champeau, Guillaume (9 January 2009). "Face au CD en déclin, le disque vinyle fait un retour en force - Business - Numerama". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ "Despite Pandora & Spotify, total U.S. music sales grew in 2012". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ "2012 Top 10 Selling Vinyl Albums, Vinyl Sales Rise In The U.S. And UK". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- 1 2 "'Abbey Road' Is Top-Selling Vinyl Album for Third Year". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ Gray, Chris (6 January 2011). "Music Sales Down 2.5 Percent In 2010". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- 1 2 "Adele's '21' 2012's Best Selling Album; Gotye Has Top Song". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- 1 2 "Vinyl Album Sales Hit Historic High in 2014, Again". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ "I Need That Record!". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ "Last Shop Standing - The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of the Independent Record Shop". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ "Sound It Out – A documentary by Jeanie Finlay". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ Vinylmania
- ↑ "Black Canyon - Faszination Vinyl". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ "The Joy of the Single - BBC Four". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ BBC – The 12 Inch Single
- ↑ "78 Revolutions - BBC Radio 4". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ Association, Press (26 December 2011). "BBC Radio 6 Music goes vinyl-only on New Year's Day". Retrieved 29 November 2016 – via The Guardian.
- 1 2 3 "RECORD STORE DAY - ABOUT US". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ Passey, Brian (February 26, 2011). "Vinyl records spin back into vogue". USA Today. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
- ↑ Musicweek – Record Store Day Vinyl 2013
- ↑ "New chart for record shop sales". The Independent. Independent News & Media. 18 April 2012. ISSN 0951-9467. OCLC 185201487. Archived from the original on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- ↑ "Independent record store chart launched in the UK". London: BBC News. 17 April 2012. Archived from the original on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- ↑ Kreisler, Laura (17 April 2012). "The new Official Record Store Chart is go!". London: Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
External links
- Al Jazeera news report on the world's oldest record shop
- Daily Mail article on vinyl resurgence and the vinyl manufacturing process