Top Vinyl Seller? Amazon’s No. 1, Urban Outfitters’ No. 2, Barnes & Noble Getting Back In
If the vinyl boom wasn't maxing out record presses before, look for that super special indie release from that barely known artist to face some pushbacks. Urban Outfitters' claim to be the no. 1 vinyl retailer was shown by Billboard to be false. Amazon's no. 1 as you might have suspected. However additional rivalry is expected from Guitar Center, Whole Foods and Barnes & Noble.
Ed Christman over at Billboard reports on Urban Outfitters' claim to be the "world’s number one vinyl seller" which turns out to be incorrect:
"A Billboard analysis shows that Amazon is the largest seller of vinyl in the U.S., with about 12.3% market share, followed by Urban Outfitters with 8.1% market share. Rounding out the top five retail accounts selling vinyl, the next-largest is Hastings Entertainment with 2.8% of the market; Hot Topic with 2.4%; and Trans World Entertainment with 2.2%."
"Accounts like Audiophile, Acoustic Sounds and Newbury Comics each have market shares between 1.5% and 2%."
Note that these numbers do not account for used vinyl sales which means it leaves a lot out.
Lots of other interesting details in Christman's article. In particular, Barnes & Noble is said to be returning to vinyl after many years away.
Guitar Center is growing its vinyl selection and also offers turntables which is a solid combo. They're said to have vinyl in all 266 stores.
In addition, Whole Foods is ramping up from 19 stores with vinyl to 100 by November.
More:
Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (@fluxresearch) recently launched DanceLand. Send news about music tech startups and services, DIY music biz and music marketing to: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.
