Vinyl record sales on the rise
Timothy Milan
Issue date: 11/9/09 Section: Entertainment
In the digital age of mp3 players and iTunes music downloads offering the greatest in music listening convenience, there is one format making a comeback from the grave-vinyl records.
According to Nielsen SoundScan, an information system that tracks sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada, sales of the medium rose 89 percent in 2008 from 2007.
That is an increase from 990,000 thousand to 1.88 million records sold. In contrast, CD sales dropped, going from 511 million to 428 million, a reduction of 14 percent.
The numbers released by Nielsen SoundScan could be misleading because it does not take into account the sales from privately owned businesses, only those from national chains such as Best Buy and Wal-Mart.
A good portion of the sales jump can be attributed to the fact that many younger people are getting into the retro style of records from discovering the collections their parents used to enjoy. The sound difference between vinyl and CD is also a big factor.
"The main group of people buying records now is the older generation, yes, but also the 18-30 crowd," Fred Bohn Jr., owner of the Attic record store in Millvale told the Voice. "Kids like records because they are cool and offer a bigger package than CDs with larger artwork and everything.
"They [records] also have a different sound as opposed to CDs. They sound better, with higher highs and lower lows. Records have a more 'room filling' sound."
In 2008, many classic albums, such as "Abbey Road" by the Beatles and "Dark Side of the Moon" by Pink Floyd were re-released. This has contributed to the sharp rise in sales. In 2008, the top selling LP was "In Rainbows" by Radiohead with about 26,000 copies sold. "Abbey Road" ranked second, selling approximately 16,000 copies.
"Also, the resale value is higher, so when you decide to sell them, you'll get more money than you would from a CD," Bohn said.
Music piracy has hurt music industry sales overall, with CD sales dropping every year since 2000 when 942 million CD units were shipped to retailers. In 2008, only 384 million were shipped.
Chains like Best Buy and Circuit City are the most affected because they heavily rely on current, popular music on CD. However, vinyl sales have not been affected by music piracy at all.
"Downloading music won't hurt our business because record collecting is never ending," said Bohn. "You have newer stuff being put onto vinyl all the time, and you have old classics that are only on vinyl. Places like us, we sell old and new stuff, and everybody is happy. So we'll always be around."
According to Nielsen SoundScan, an information system that tracks sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada, sales of the medium rose 89 percent in 2008 from 2007.
That is an increase from 990,000 thousand to 1.88 million records sold. In contrast, CD sales dropped, going from 511 million to 428 million, a reduction of 14 percent.
The numbers released by Nielsen SoundScan could be misleading because it does not take into account the sales from privately owned businesses, only those from national chains such as Best Buy and Wal-Mart.
A good portion of the sales jump can be attributed to the fact that many younger people are getting into the retro style of records from discovering the collections their parents used to enjoy. The sound difference between vinyl and CD is also a big factor.
"The main group of people buying records now is the older generation, yes, but also the 18-30 crowd," Fred Bohn Jr., owner of the Attic record store in Millvale told the Voice. "Kids like records because they are cool and offer a bigger package than CDs with larger artwork and everything.
"They [records] also have a different sound as opposed to CDs. They sound better, with higher highs and lower lows. Records have a more 'room filling' sound."
In 2008, many classic albums, such as "Abbey Road" by the Beatles and "Dark Side of the Moon" by Pink Floyd were re-released. This has contributed to the sharp rise in sales. In 2008, the top selling LP was "In Rainbows" by Radiohead with about 26,000 copies sold. "Abbey Road" ranked second, selling approximately 16,000 copies.
"Also, the resale value is higher, so when you decide to sell them, you'll get more money than you would from a CD," Bohn said.
Music piracy has hurt music industry sales overall, with CD sales dropping every year since 2000 when 942 million CD units were shipped to retailers. In 2008, only 384 million were shipped.
Chains like Best Buy and Circuit City are the most affected because they heavily rely on current, popular music on CD. However, vinyl sales have not been affected by music piracy at all.
"Downloading music won't hurt our business because record collecting is never ending," said Bohn. "You have newer stuff being put onto vinyl all the time, and you have old classics that are only on vinyl. Places like us, we sell old and new stuff, and everybody is happy. So we'll always be around."