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More money was spent on vinyl than album downloads last week for the first time ever, new figures have revealed.

The Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) said vinyl sales earned the record industry £2.4m in week 48 of 2016, while downloads took in £2.1m.

It is a significant shift in how people are consuming music. In November last year it was reported that vinyl albums made £1.2m in sales while digital records made £4.4m.

The ERA, which used Official Charts data, suggested that this surge in vinyl sales could be due to customers giving friends and family vinyl as Christmas presents, along with the growing number of retailers, such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s and HMV, which now stock vinyl.

“This is yet further evidence of the ability of music fans to surprise us all,” ERA chief Kim Bayley said in a statement.

“It’s not so long ago that the digital download was meant to be the future. Few would have predicted that an album format, first invented in 1948 and based on stamping a groove into a piece of plastic, would now be outselling it in 2016.”

The popularity of events such as Record Store Day (RSD) have also been credited with encouraging people to buy vinyl. Observed on the third Saturday of April each year, the event has been celebrated globally since 2007.

Record store owner and RSD board member Adam Gillison of Jumbo Records told The Independent:“Ultimately, in this digital world our customers are continually looking for a tangible, physical way to celebrate their love for their favourite artists – something that digital services simply cannot offer.

“On top of this, over the last nine years the popularity of RSD has continued to soar across the UK, so it comes as no surprise that the vinyl market continues to surge in this way.”

A report by the BPI, the record labels’ association that promotes British music, was released in May and showed how resurgent sales of music on vinyl generated more income for UK artists than YouTube in 2015.

UK vinyl sales increased for the eighth year in a row in 2015, with sales topping £25.1m. British acts including Adele and Ed Sheeran accounted for one in six of all albums sold worldwide.

NorthC said:

Yeah... A download doesn't make much of a Christmas gift, does it?

Nope. I could probably use a $20 to cover all the music & apps I've ever purchased, and still have enough for a couple of combo meals at Micky D's.

EmmaMcG said:

I'd say a lot of it is to do with vinyl being so expensive. If you download an album from say iTunes, what does that cost? 11 euro? Something like that? Go into HMV or Tower Records and you're going to pay up to 30 quid for the same album. So naturally vinyl will make more money even if more people choose to download. Another reason for it, and this one is applicable to me, is that if you're willing to forego a physical copy, you might as well just get it free by downloading it illegally. Now, personally, I'll almost always buy the physical cd but if a CD copy is unavailable, as was the case with Phase Two and Lotus Flower, I'm not going to pay for a download. So maybe download sales are down because of people doing that too?

I'd think these numbers show more that people prefer streaming over digital sales.

sexton said:

i'm just getting back into the world of vinyl... loving it

Wrong forum.

I just bought several vinyl albums the other day I'm old school and I love the fact that vinyl records are doing so well.I noticed that,when I was in Fry's Electronics the other day,there were alot of other people looking at the vinyl section,too....including some youngsters.

SoulAlive said:

I just bought several vinyl albums the other day I'm old school and I love the fact that vinyl records are doing so well.I noticed that,when I was in Fry's Electronics the other day,there were alot of other people looking at the vinyl section,too....including some hipsters.

There, fixed it.

LOL But seriously folks - I know a lot of 20 somethings got into vinyl because it was a hipster thing to do. But in reality, it's a bit like kids playing Rock Band. If it gets them interested in the medium as a whole, and they find a love for it, I say - be a hipster at first. You'll outgrow it, and your vinyl collection will grow in proportion. Prince once lambasted Rock Band because it wasn't real instruments, but we know that a lot of kids ended up wanting a real guitar or a real drumset to explore the love of playing instruments and learning music. Perhaps, hopefully, the same holds true for these here young'uns buying a (dry mouth) Rihanna album (cough cough) on vinyl.

TrivialPursuit said:

EmmaMcG said:

TrivialPursuit said:

There, fixed it.

LOL But seriously folks - I know a lot of 20 somethings got into vinyl because it was a hipster thing to do. But in reality, it's a bit like kids playing Rock Band. If it gets them interested in the medium as a whole, and they find a love for it, I say - be a hipster at first. You'll outgrow it, and your vinyl collection will grow in proportion. Prince once lambasted Rock Band because it wasn't real instruments, but we know that a lot of kids ended up wanting a real guitar or a real drumset to explore the love of playing instruments and learning music. Perhaps, hopefully, the same holds true for these here young'uns buying a (dry mouth) Rihanna album (cough cough) on vinyl.

Speaking as a 26 year old (still a youngster), I must say that I really don't see the point in vinyl. I've been looking for a record player for my aunt for Christmas and after doing a bit of research on them (reading customer reviews) it seems like I'd have to pay upwards of 300 euro for a half decent one. Then the records themselves are so expensive. I was in Tower Records in Dublin today and it's like 30 quid for an album that costs less than half that on CD. For that kind of money I'd expect the artists to come and play in my living room. I'll stick to CD thank you very much.

speaking as a 42 year old (still a youngster [it's all perspective]), i'd have to say it all comes down to personal preference of how you want to experience the music you listen to. in my opinion, the best way to hear some music is on a hi fi, through large speakers at a moderate volume, allowing the music to fill the room with the rich tones that are only achieved from a vinyl record. i reserve that for albums that i want to experience whole through active listening.

it does require some monetary and time investment; but if that's your thing, it's well worth it.

EmmaMcG said:

TrivialPursuit said:

There, fixed it.

LOL But seriously folks - I know a lot of 20 somethings got into vinyl because it was a hipster thing to do. But in reality, it's a bit like kids playing Rock Band. If it gets them interested in the medium as a whole, and they find a love for it, I say - be a hipster at first. You'll outgrow it, and your vinyl collection will grow in proportion. Prince once lambasted Rock Band because it wasn't real instruments, but we know that a lot of kids ended up wanting a real guitar or a real drumset to explore the love of playing instruments and learning music. Perhaps, hopefully, the same holds true for these here young'uns buying a (dry mouth) Rihanna album (cough cough) on vinyl.

Speaking as a 26 year old (still a youngster), I must say that I really don't see the point in vinyl. I've been looking for a record player for my aunt for Christmas and after doing a bit of research on them (reading customer reviews) it seems like I'd have to pay upwards of 300 euro for a half decent one. Then the records themselves are so expensive. I was in Tower Records in Dublin today and it's like 30 quid for an album that costs less than half that on CD. For that kind of money I'd expect the artists to come and play in my living room. I'll stick to CD thank you very much.

i got rid of all my vinyl years ago... i'm starting again... i recently spent a bit and got a decent turntable, amp and speakers

i've spent about 1k on albums in the last week and a bit

with vinyl, i listen to the whole album... the whole thing is a far more engaging experience..... i sat with my two boys (4 and 6) the other morning listening to records and looking at album covers... they loved looking at the covers and asking lots of questions about it all

i know from a cold, purely logical perspective, it might make no sense to some... but in today's world of snatch and grab immediacy ... it's refreshing to make music listening more of an experience

MoBettaBliss said:

EmmaMcG said:

MoBettaBliss said:

i got rid of all my vinyl years ago... i'm starting again... i recently spent a bit and got a decent turntable, amp and speakers

i've spent about 1k on albums in the last week and a bit

with vinyl, i listen to the whole album... the whole thing is a far more engaging experience..... i sat with my two boys (4 and 6) the other morning listening to records and looking at album covers... they loved looking at the covers and asking lots of questions about it all

i know from a cold, purely logical perspective, it might make no sense to some... but in today's world of snatch and grab immediacy ... it's refreshing to make music listening more of an experience

Can't that be done with cds though? And for a fraction of the cost.

for me, it's a different experience

EmmaMcG said:

MoBettaBliss said:

i got rid of all my vinyl years ago... i'm starting again... i recently spent a bit and got a decent turntable, amp and speakers

i've spent about 1k on albums in the last week and a bit

with vinyl, i listen to the whole album... the whole thing is a far more engaging experience..... i sat with my two boys (4 and 6) the other morning listening to records and looking at album covers... they loved looking at the covers and asking lots of questions about it all

i know from a cold, purely logical perspective, it might make no sense to some... but in today's world of snatch and grab immediacy ... it's refreshing to make music listening more of an experience

Can't that be done with cds though? And for a fraction of the cost.

No, because the booklets are too small to share the album art with two kids, hehe.

And listening to records is more of an active experience in that you have to get up and flip the record over to hear the rest of the album. If it's a double album then you have to get up three times. It helps to keep you focused on the music.

it seems the active word amongst vinyl afficianados would be 'experience'.

sexton said:

EmmaMcG said:

Can't that be done with cds though? And for a fraction of the cost.

No, because the booklets are too small to share the album art with two kids, hehe.

And listening to records is more of an active experience in that you have to get up and flip the record over to hear the rest of the album. If it's a double album then you have to get up three times. It helps to keep you focused on the music.

this is very much the case for me

EmmaMcG said:

TrivialPursuit said:

There, fixed it.

LOL But seriously folks - I know a lot of 20 somethings got into vinyl because it was a hipster thing to do. But in reality, it's a bit like kids playing Rock Band. If it gets them interested in the medium as a whole, and they find a love for it, I say - be a hipster at first. You'll outgrow it, and your vinyl collection will grow in proportion. Prince once lambasted Rock Band because it wasn't real instruments, but we know that a lot of kids ended up wanting a real guitar or a real drumset to explore the love of playing instruments and learning music. Perhaps, hopefully, the same holds true for these here young'uns buying a (dry mouth) Rihanna album (cough cough) on vinyl.

Speaking as a 26 year old (still a youngster), I must say that I really don't see the point in vinyl. I've been looking for a record player for my aunt for Christmas and after doing a bit of research on them (reading customer reviews) it seems like I'd have to pay upwards of 300 euro for a half decent one. Then the records themselves are so expensive. I was in Tower Records in Dublin today and it's like 30 quid for an album that costs less than half that on CD. For that kind of money I'd expect the artists to come and play in my living room. I'll stick to CD thank you very much.

I actually kept all of my old vinyl from my younger days,so I have about 8 crates of vinyl records It's true that "new" vinyl records can be expensive,but I mostly buy older records anyway,which I find at used record stores for reasonable prices.

SoulAlive said:

I actually kept all of my old vinyl from my younger days,so I have about 8 crates of vinyl records It's true that "new" vinyl records can be expensive,but I mostly buy older records anyway,which I find at used record stores for reasonable prices.

I don't mind buying older vinyl at all. Most of my collection is the older vinyl. I love the sound of the older vinyl, and that mid-tone warmth you get. Vinyl can even dial down the tinny harshness of all digital albums sometimes (like Rave Un2).

On an older vinyl note: I did purposely search for a specific copy of MJ's Bad album. The songs were changed over subsequent pressings after the initial one. "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Dirty Diana", "Smooth Criminal" and "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" were all altered in obvious ways, while other songs were replaced with a 7" remix edit. "Smooth Criminal" was changed three times. The horns in the choruses in "Bad" were removed, until the very last chorus just before the end. "The Way You Make Me Feel" had more bass and kick put in it. The spoken intro on "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" was removed. "Dirty Diana" was the 7" edit (and technically "Bad" alteration was the 7" edit too). I waited almost a year, searching local stores until I found it. There are no specific markings on it to know the difference (to my knowledge). So luckily because it was a used album, I could listen to it in the store. I knew when I heard the horns on "Bad" in the first chorus that I had the right pressing.

i still have my old Magnavox stereo, complete with turntable, twin cassette decks, equalizer and *quad* speakers. ah... the good old days.

Here's an interesting article from The Guardian about who may be responsible for the vinyl revival:

sexton said:

Here's an interesting article from The Guardian about who may be responsible for the vinyl revival:

Vinyl destination: who is actually buying records?

Lonely, middle-aged men love vinyl. Before you rush to litter the comments section with gnarly insults under the pseudonym NotAllLonelyMiddleAgedMen, this statement derives from actual data. According to YouGov, the much talked-about record resurgence is driven not by a boom in millennials who want to embrace the novelty of a physical item, but by midlife nostalgia. Those who have recently purchased a vinyl album are most likely to be aged between 45 and 54, apparently. In fact, those in the 18-24 age group are the least likely. It is not just an act of hoarding by hobbyists, either – it has emotional significance: older vinyl buyers are slightly more likely to keep their feelings to themselves (56% of vinyl buyers versus 53% of all UK adults) and enjoy being alone (69% of vinyl buyers versus 66% all UK adults).

But are YouGov’s results true? If this blog was a televised news report, the camera would follow me as I walked down the middle of a busy Soho street, wearing a modest grey suit and gesturing wildly before stopping, cupping my hands and saying something authoritative like: “So, let’s take a look.”

So, let’s take a look...

Read the rest of the article here: https://www.theguardian.c...ng-records

haha... there's definitely some nostalgia involved for me... i'm not lonely though

i'll say this ... when i'm out and about buying records... there's lots of young people there doing the same

MoBettaBliss said:

sexton said:

Here's an interesting article from The Guardian about who may be responsible for the vinyl revival:

haha... there's definitely some nostalgia involved for me... i'm not lonely though

i'll say this ... when i'm out and about buying records... there's lots of young people there doing the same

many with their loved ones or a friend

Here's another article from The Guardian that refers to a poll that says half of the respondents who buy records don't play them.

If somebody really would be so stupid as to buy a record that they don't play...

I don't see the appeal, but is doing this really much different from people who buy toys/figurines they never remove from the package?

.

[Edited 12/16/16 14:37pm]

NorthC said:

Sorry; Sexton, no offense to you (don't shoot the messenger, I know), but I couldn't finish reading that article. If somebody really would be so stupid as to buy a record that they don't play... then they could just as easily vote for Trump...

ICM, the agency that conducted the poll is British so I'm guessing the people answering the vinyl poll most likely could not have affected the U.S. election in any way. Brexit on the other hand...

Edit: The writer of the article is also British.

[Edited 12/16/16 15:04pm]

thekidsgirl said:

If somebody really would be so stupid as to buy a record that they don't play...

I don't see the appeal, but is doing this really much different from people who buy toys/figurines they never remove from the package?

.

[Edited 12/16/16 14:37pm]

i was actually just discussing the topic of vinyl & downloads with some of the younger guys in the office today, and one of them - a guy barely past 20 - said he owns about 50 vinyl records, even though he has no way of playing them. he buys them mostly to support the bands (most of them are local, indie releases) & for the novelty, and i think i can understand that.

[Edited 12/16/16 17:37pm]

sexton said:

Here's another article from The Guardian that refers to a poll that says half of the respondents who buy records don't play them.

I don’t need to play my vinyl to love it

Vinyl sales may be on the up, but according to an ICM poll, almost half of people who bought a vinyl album last month have yet to listen to it. And of people who buy records, the poll found, 41% have a turntable they never use – and 7% don’t even own a record player.

So as a buyer of vinyl that I no longer play, I have to ask: what’s in it for us? The romance of owning a physical object? Having to go to a particular place and spend cold hard contactless money to buy it? That’s certainly more rewarding than idly downloading a song while you’re sitting on the loo. Or is it just about hanging a copy of Adele’s latest album, last year’s biggest selling vinyl album, on the wall of your lounge to look cultured?

Read the rest of the article here: https://www.theguardian.c...store-day

i must be doing it wrong