Published
Wed, Jul 28, 2021, 18:50
- Demand for the format continues to surge, according to a new report from MCR Data.
US vinyl sales are up 108 percent, new data reveals.
19.2 million vinyl albums were sold during the first six months of 2021, a rise of 108 percent from the same period last year, according to analysis group MRC Data. The figures also confirmed increased demand for vinyl over CDs. (The full report is available via Billboard.) From January to June 2021, 18.9 million CDs were sold versus 19.2 million records, MRC Data said.
The report reflects a 15-year uptrend for vinyl, which still only accounts for 5.2 percent of total revenues in the US music industry. In 2020, US sales grew 28.7 percent from 2019 and outsold CDs for the first time since 1986, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. It's a similar story in the UK, where vinyl revenues in 2020 hit their highest levels since 1989, data from the British Phonographic Industry showed.
Despite its popularity, vinyl remains a tricky medium for fans and professionals in the industry. An ongoing heat wave across the US is warping record shipments, Pitchfork reported this week, describing how labels such as Ba Da Bing Records are warning customers of potential damage from weather.
A massively delayed manufacturing schedule as a result of the pandemic is also weighing on independent labels. Global demand for vinyl albums are now more than double the available supply, Billboard reported last month. Resident Advisor will have more reporting on the state of vinyl production in an upcoming feature.
For a deep dive on other issues facing the vinyl manufacturing market, revisit our 2020 feature on how a factory fire in California impacted the global industry.