2012 was another great year for vinyl album sales. The U.S. saw its 5th year of record-breaking sales while the UK also saw its 5th year of rising sales. Vinyl sales remain a tiny percentage of overall album sales but represent a steadily growing niche feeding audiophiles, collectors and superfans. In the U.S. vinyl sales were predominantly via indie music stores and Jack White was no. 1 with "Blunderbuss."
According to The Nielsen Company & Billboard's 2012 Music Industry Report:
"For the fifth consecutive year, more vinyl albums were purchased than any other year in the history of Nielsen SoundScan."
- "In 2012, vinyl album sales reached 4.6 million in sales, breaking the previous record of 3.9 million LP album sales in 2011."
- "67% of all vinyl albums were purchased at an independent music store during 2012."
- "Vinyl album sales in 2012 were up 19% compared to 2011 and accounted for 1.4% of all album sales and 2.3% of all physical album sales."
2012 Top 10 Vinyl Albums in the U.S.
- Blunderbuss - Jack White
- Abbey Road - Beatles
- Babel - Mumford & Sons
- El Camino - Black Keys
- Sigh No More - Mumford & Sons
- Bloom - Beach House
- For Emma Forever Ago - Bon Iver
- Boys & Girls - Alabama Shakes
- 21 - Adele
- Bon Iver - Bon Iver
In the UK vinyl sales were as robust as in the States and The xx took the top spot with "Coexist."
According to the Official Charts Company:
"Vinyl sales grew for the fifth successive year with a total of 389,000 LPs sold during 2012 – an increase of 15.3% over 2011’s sales of 337,000."
2012 Top 10 Vinyl Albums in the UK
- Coexist - The xx
- The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie
- Blunderbuss - Jack White
- 21 - Adele
- Lonerism - Tame Impala
- Tempest - Bob Dylan
- Bloom - Beach House
- An Awesome Wave - Alt-J
- Go-Go Boots - Drive-By Truckers
- The Wall - Pink Floyd
Though vinyl sales are definitely a niche, there's a strong positive value in having an area of growing sales that encourages creative packaging and connoisseurship.
More:
- Vinyl News: 3D Printed Record, Turnplay Vinyl iPad App, Blue Note Reproductions
- 15 Best Cassette Releases Of 2012
- Vinyl News: Sales Growth, Vinyl Kickstarters, Marshall Crenshaw's Vinyl Subscriptions
Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (Twitter/App.net) blogs about music crowdfunding at Crowdfunding For Musicians (@CrowdfundingM). To suggest topics for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.
