The vinyl revival is showing few signs of grinding to a halt according to some of the sector's key players, who have hailed the resilience of the format.
BPI figures revealed that from 2016 to 2017 album sales on vinyl leapt from 3.23 million units to 4.1m, nearly double the amount of LPs sold in 2015 (2.12m units).
Earlier this year, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino by Arctic Monkeys sold 24,500 albums on vinyl in its first week of sale, making it the fastest-selling vinyl record of the last 25 years.
Speaking in the current issue of Music Week, Karen Emanuel, CEO of vinyl, CD and DVD manufacturers Key Production, said: “I thought we would see a plateau in vinyl before now and we haven’t. For us, the format is still growing.”
While acknowledging the percentage growth of new, official vinyl sales might be beginning to slow, Vangel Vlaski, label manager at Proper Music Distribution, said the consumer’s appetite for the format is undimmed.
“The vinyl ‘revival’ has been an amazing story for the whole industry, and the numbers affirm that this phenomenon continues,” he said.
"Vinyl is changing hands considerably more than any metrics can really show. We might not be witnessing the continuous exponential growth that provides great news headlines, but we are looking at format longevity as an increasing number of people are looking to start, or rebuild their collections. In my view, that’s a healthier situation to be in, as it ensures that the vinyl ‘revival’ is much more than just a fad.”
PledgeMusic UK’s MD Paul Barton added: “Fans love vinyl and it fits perfectly into our direct-to-fan remit. Where possible and appropriate, we are always encouraging artists that we are working with to include it in their PledgeMusic store. Coloured and signed vinyl in particular appeal hugely to fans and we are only seeing this grow more and more.”
Click here for Music Week's special report on the vinyl sector.
