Vinyl Record Sales To Hit 20-Year High In UK, Matching Rise In US Sales

Vinyl record sales in Britain doubled between 2012 and 2014, reports the Financial Times, after hitting a 20-year low in 2007. But although 800,000 vinyl records were sold so far this year in the U.K. -- not counting the secondary online sales market -- digital still dominates, with vinyl constituting only 2.4 percent of total music sales. This is in keeping with a rise in the number of vinyl LPs sold in the U.S., which according to Nielsen SoundScan (NLSN) hit 2.9 million in 2013.

“People use digital, and increasingly streaming, because it’s such a fantastically versatile and convenient way to discover, enjoy and share their favorite music," said Gennaro Castaldo, a British Phonographic Industry (BPI) spokesman. "But ultimately it’s a function format, whereas vinyl is something that you love to own and collect."

Theories abound regarding vinyl's resurgence. Music lovers have become more interested in sound quality. There's a rise in interest in vintage products and the fetishization of analog. And albums have even reached the status of a collectible luxury good in some circles. In London's tony Brompton Cross, albums featuring original artwork and high-quality pressings are sold at the Vinyl Factory gallery to collectors with the attention normally paid to art.

The forecast for vinyl albums, in other words, continues to be groovy. Whether it's the Brazilian collector who is buying up mountains of vinyl, Urban Outfitters claiming (incorrectly) that they were responsible for the most sales in the world (it's actually Amazon), or Neil Young's Pono Player promising the "feeling" and quality of vinyl, the vinyl revival continues.