As the pandemic has stifled the music industry, fans continue to support artists in one of the most traditional ways possible – by buying vinyl!
This is a hipster’s dream – the ultimate experience in sound quality, cover art (a big 12 inch makes a beautiful piece of visual art above the fireplace) and the experience of pure shopping.
So many amazing discoveries come from browsing vinyls, more than browsing CDs, and it definitely makes the experience more enjoyable than sifting through the digital clutter of streaming platforms.
In the first 6 months of 2021 alone, 19.2 million vinyl records were sold. This topped the CD record, which stood at nearly 18.9 million, according to global entertainment analysis firm, MRC Data.
But the overtaking was a long time coming. In 2020, vinyl was the CD champion in annual earnings in the United States for the first time in 34 years! And that’s just the beginning.
Over the next 6 months, the number of vinyls sold increased by 108%.
NS ! That’s a lot of audiophiles there!
We have contributed to these sales! I love vinyl. But also, do people still buy CDs ??
– Kate Ottavio Kent (@KOttavioKent) July 14, 2021
Even more surprisingly, the records that sell particularly well are all relatively recent.
Bestsellers include Taylor Swift’s Always, which recorded the highest vinyl sales in a week in MRC Data’s 30-year history, with more than 100,000 copies sold, alongside other modern greats like Kendrick Lamar Good child MAAD City, and that of Billie Eilish When we fall asleep, where do we go?
How dead are physical album sales?
Vinyl exceeds CD sales in 2022.
– Billy Dukes (@billydukes) July 14, 2021
Vinyl isn’t the only trend buzzing in the music industry right now. NFTs, aka non-fungible tokens, have become an exciting new source of income for artists over the past couple of years. Previously, we published an article on DFTs in this regard.
From February to April of this year, the industry grossed around $ 55.7 million from this weird new medium, increasing its revenue potential in an exciting new way!
