Vinyl albums remain popular locally, worldwide

Credit: Amelia Robinson

Credit: Amelia Robinson

Have we come full circle by bringing vinyl back from the brink of extinction?

Last week, Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) reported that more money was spent on vinyl albums rather than digital albums in the UK.

The EPA has provided figures indicating that in week 48 of 2016, £2.4m was spent on vinyl and only £2.1m was spent on digital albums, according to The Vinyl Factory.

This is the first time ever that vinyl sales beat digital downloads.

But what is with the sudden surge of vinyl sale?

There are a number of factors that could be at play: Record Store Day Black Friday, vinyl being purchased as Christmas gifts and the greater number of retailers selling vinyl.

Reports also show that vinyl sale surpassed revenue on from YouTube for UK artist.

One local record shop in the Oregon district saw a surge in last week’s records sales.

“Each year we do better than the last year,” said Alex Staiger, owner of Omega Music. “Something about vinyl. It’s something people can have and say that they own.”

“Everything has a peak,” Staiger continued. “Vinyl sales may peak soon, it may peak next year or it could continue to rise. We’re are not sure.”

Despite strong local numbers, data released by the Recording Industry of America shows vinyl sales were down in the first half of the year in the United States.

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