The Curious Case of Vinyl – Shellac Lives On
As a older…ahem muso, I still buy vinyl old and new, and one of my great fears in this new digital age, was that the format would eventually die out.
So I was heartened to read this news item about the continued renaissance of vinyl.
“Record labels have been treated to a number of unexpected growth stories over the past decade, perhaps the most out-of-the-blue being ringtones. But as the ringtone wanes, the trajectory on another unexpected contender, vinyl, remains on the up-and-up.
Make no mistake, vinyl is still niche, though it has now grown beyond its initial small footprint of deejays, die-hard collectors and other aficionados. According to the latest data from Nielsen Soundscan, wax has already set a sales record in 2009 – at least for the 90s and 2000s. Specifically, US-based sales recently crossed into the two millions, beating a 2008-year total of 1.9 million.
All together, HIP HIP HOORAY!
Part of that is coming from the retro-cool of it all, though other factors – including spacious artwork, lyrics, and lots of tangible satisfaction – are also playing a role. Actually, that is great for niche retailers, and instructive for artists. Outside of that, the payoff remains limited – in perspective, year-to-date album sales are now past 320 million, also according to Soundscan.”
john
From The Other Side of the Mirror 