Vinyl sales will likely surpass CD sales for the first time in more than 30 yearsAmoeba Music Building July 24 2019

Vinyl sales will likely surpass CD sales for the first time in more than 30 years

The vinyl resurgence is now more than just a phenomenon. It’s a fact.

For the first time since 1986, vinyl sales in 2019 are set to be greater than that of CDs. According to a mid-year report released from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), vinyl sales increased at the triple the rate that CDs were decreasing.

On Sept. 5, RIAA released the 2019 iteration of the same report which saw the numbers leaning even more in favor of vinyl. Vinyl record revenue reached $224.1 million (on 8.6 million units) in the first half of 2019, just shy of the $247.9 million (on 18.6 million units) earned from CDs. Last year, vinyl revenue grew by 12.8 percent in Q3 and Q4, and 12.9 percent in the Q1 and Q2 of 2019. CD revenue, on the other hand, remained mostly stagnant.

This trend certainly did not occur overnight, though. As streaming and other entirely digital methods of musical consumption became endlessly popular for their sheet convenience, vinyl became a symbol of connection for seasoned music fans.

Not only because of the dismal royalty rates provided to artists by streaming services but because vinyl is often viewed as a relic of a past musical age—one where it was required to leave the house, go to a record store and look through whatever sort of crates, boxes, or bins were in the shop to find the desired album.

The steady increase in vinyl sales demonstrates a level of passion within the worldwide music community—a kind of passion that will fuel a new generation of creativity and exploration, and the music from that generation will reflect this passion.

H/T: Rolling Stone

Photo credit: Brandon Williams/Getty Images

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