Vinyl Hits a Ten Year High – But Why?

British Phonographic Industry figures from 2013 suggest vinyl sales, while still relatively humble compared to CDs and downloads, have reached a ten-year high. The BPI data shows some 550,000 LPs were sold in 2013, accounting for 0.7% of all albums sold.

The Arctic Monkeys’ “AM” was the #1 selling vinyl album of 2013.

“We’re witnessing a renaissance for records,” the BPI’s chief executive Geoff Taylor explained.”They’re no longer retromania and are becoming the format of choice for more and more music fans. Vinyl sales are growing fast.”

US sales figures compiled by Neilson Soundscan suggest the American market, too, is displaying a healthy boost in record purchases. For the first six months of 2013, sales of albums and track equivalents were down 4.6% vs. the first six months of 2012. Digital albums were up 6.3 percent and digital tracks were down 2.3 percent. CD sales declined 14.2 percent and Vinyl LP sales were up 33.5 percent.

While the music business as a whole continues to suffer declining sales figures, the resurgence of interest in vinyl is being watched with interest by industry analysts. The Australian recording industry chief executive Dan Rosen, commenting on a purported 70% increase in vinyl sales across the Antipodean market, believes the format is gaining momentum.

“Well it’s been an interesting phenomenon that vinyl sales doubled last year, admittedly from a low base, but it went from approximately $1 million in sales to almost $2 million in sales in 12 months,” he said.

“I think there’s a great romance about putting something on a turn table and dropping down the needle and hearing the little crackles and squeaks.

“A lot of new artists are using vinyl as a way to give their fans a physical product and a lot of artists will give the vinyl, but you’ll get a digital download as well when you buy the vinyl.”

Crossing Platforms

“Push the Sky Away” by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds was #10 in 2013.

One of the key marketing successes achieved by the vinyl industry may be the concept of giving an MP3 download free with each vinyl purchase, allowing buyers to enjoy the full scope of their purchase across digital media as well on their record player.

The superbrand Amazon have also contributed this with the launch, during 2013, of their service ‘Amazon Autorip’ which provides free mp3 versions of any vinyl or CD bought through their shop.

“What would you say if you bought CDs, vinyl or even cassettes from a company 14 years ago, and then 14 years later that company licensed the rights from the record companies to give you the MP3 versions of those albums… and then to top it off, did that for you automatically and for free?” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO.

Ian Woodward, author of Vinyl: The Analogue Record in the Digital Age, attributes the growing rates of vinyl production to a number of factors.

“There’s the perception that vinyl is a superior sound carrier,” he said.

“It is, but of course not all listeners can tell much difference between a CD, digital or vinyl.

But there is a widespread perception that vinyl sounds warmer and is more human.”

He says vinyl has become a cooler, hipper alternative to the ubiquity of the digital download.

“To buy and listen to vinyl sometimes demonstrates a political commitment against the global download industry but is more often about demonstrating that one is a serious music listener. In this sense, vinyl is a material carrier of music heritage.”

 Jane McInness is a music industry analyst for ImagemPM  Library Music.

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