UK vinyl sales grow by another 61% in Q1 as retailers prepare for Record Store Day
The UK public has embraced vinyl and there’s no turning back. The BPI in the run-up to Record Store Day has released the figures for vinyl sales in the country over Q1 2016, reporting a further growth of 61.8% over the same period in 2015.
Due to this increase, the BPI states that vinyl now represents 3.9% of all album sales, up from 2.1% in Q1 2015.
Over the past three months, 640,000 LPs were purchased, and if the demand remains consistent during the rest of the year there could be over 3 million vinyl sales in the UK during 2016.
It’s fair to say that a prediction to that effect a decade ago would have been received at any music industry gathering with roaring laughter.
In the UK however, vinyl’s resurgence can no longer be called a ‘fad’ and as people invest in high-quality equipment to enjoy their vinyl on at home, it is likely they will continue to buy records in the format for the foreseeable future.
Geoff Taylor, the Chief Executive of the BPI stated: “Vinyl is no longer the preserve of baby-boomers who grew up with the format. It now also appeals to a new generation of engaged younger fans and millennials. While digital platforms provide fans instant and unlimited access to an ever-expanding cosmos of music, they can’t quite match the unique experience vinyl gives you: browsing for rare gems in your favourite record store, poring over the cover art and sleeve notes and enjoying the ritual of carefully dropping the stylus onto an LP and savouring its analogue sound.”
The sales of Bowies’ “Blackstar” may have contributed significantly to the growth in Q1, since the LP version of the record has already sold twice as many copies as the biggest-selling LP of 2015 (Adele’s “25”). If that is the case, sales may level off a bit over the rest of the year so a 60+% growth over the entirety of 2016 is prehaps not on the cards.
The 9th edition of Record Store Day - which is happening tomorrow the 16th of April 2015 - will be another important celebration of vinyl. The Chief Executive of the Entertainment Retailers Association Kim Bayley reports that the event will see 230 independent retailers taking part and 250 labels releasing one-off exclusive vinyl products.
(Andrea Leonelli)