Over the years we’ve seen various music formats introduced, with each format supposedly better than the previous one, but in what seems like an interesting twist, it looks like the vinyl format for listening to music has come full circle, so much so that over in the UK, they have launched an official music chart for vinyl music amidst increasing sales.For vinyl collectors and music fans, there will be two charts offered – one that focuses on vinyl albums, and the other will be focusing on singles released on both the 7-inch and 12-inch format. According to Martin Talbot, Chief Executive of the Official Charts Company, “With vinyl album sales up by almost 70% already this year, vinyl junkies could well have snapped up 2 million units by the end of this year – an extraordinary number, if you consider sales were one-tenth of that just six years ago.”
Talbot’s comments are in line with what we have been hearing recently. Just last year vinyl sales in the UK was at 1.29 million where it was the first time it surpassed the 1 million mark since 1996. Granted vinyl sales still pale in comparison to those of CD sales which still remains as one of the more popular formats available at the moment.
A report from earlier this year confirms all of this. The numbers from Nielsen revealed that vinyl sales in the US was at 9.2 million in 2014, a 52% increase from 2013 and was also the highest they’ve ever seen since they started tracking sales back in 1991, but what do you guys think? Is vinyl making a comeback or do you think it will always remain as a format that only collectors and music lovers will appreciate?
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