Vinyl record sales in 2021 at highest level for 30 years: 23 percent of all albums bought this year were on vinyl, with ABBA’s ‘Voyage’ the biggest seller. Vinyl record sales in 2021 were the highest they’ve been in 30 years, despite widely publicised issues with backlogs and delays. According to new figures from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), more than five million vinyl records were sold this year, an 8 per cent increase on 2020. It marks the 14th year in a row that the format has increased sales, with vinyl records making up 23 per cent of all albums sold this year. The biggest-selling vinyl album of 2021 so far is ABBA‘s comeback record ‘Voyage’, while Adele‘s huge ’30’ and Sam Fender‘s ‘Seventeen Going Under’ – NME’s Album Of The Year – also sold big on wax. Reflecting on the stats, Geoff Taylor, chief executive of the BPI, Brit Awards & Mercury Prize, said: “It’s a great time to be a music fan, with wider choice on offer than ever before supported by great value…”
Christmas week vinyl sales top 2 million: The 2.11 million vinyl records sold from December 17-23 mark the highest single-week total in the modern era. Americans bought 2.11 million vinyl records last week, Billboard reports. The figure marks the first time the single-week total has topped 2 million since MRC Data (formerly SoundScan) started tracking music sales in 1991. Sales clearly benefited from last-minute Christmas shopping — the number was up 45 percent from the previous week, when 1.46 million units were sold — but the new high also demonstrates a trend of significant growth on a broader scale: 2020’s Christmas week total was 1.84 million. According to Billboard, U.S. vinyl sales have topped 1 million six weeks in a row; there have only been 14 instances of million-unit weeks in the MRC Data years, eight of them occurring in 2021. And, for the past 23 weeks, more vinyl records have been sold than CDs; this only happened in five weeks last year, and never before 2020.
Colorado Springs, CO | Independent Records moving to new digs in Colorado Springs: Independent Records & Video is lifting the needle on its long-playing Platte Avenue home and moving to Academy Boulevard. The Colorado Springs business, one of the city’s last independently owned and operated music retailers, will relocate starting Monday to 195 N. Academy Blvd., southeast of Academy and Bijou Street, from its main building and next-door annex at 3030 and 3020 E. Platte. Independent Records had opened 43 years ago on Platte. …The move involves transporting merchandise and other items from the main building on Platte to the Academy site about a mile away. The annex was closed several months ago. Launched by Lambert and his brother, Lewis, in 1978, Independent Records sells music on CDs, vinyl albums and cassettes; it also sells DVDs, video games, books, and apparel.
Newtown, PA | Owner Of Newtown Book & Record Exchange Reflects After 1 Year: “I knew I needed the shop to always be here,” said Chelsea Mitchell, who bought the State Street store last December. “It’s my second home.” Last December, an employee who had worked at Newtown Book & Record Exchange for most of the prior 15 years took over ownership of the beloved local shop. Since then the store has celebrated its 40th birthday, and Chelsea Mitchell has been hard at work to ensure the record shop will stay in business. “I feel so supported by longtime customers and by the community for continuing Bobbie Lewis’s legacy,” she wrote in an email to Patch. “It hasn’t been without challenges, of course — but the work is too fun and rewarding to complain.” Lewis opened the shop in 1981, and the small store has since weathered the struggles of retailers like Amazon taking over much of the industry. Mitchell thinks local shops like the book and record exchange help people unplug. “Not to get too philosophical but it’s important that we stop relying so heavily on screens and get back to basics now and then,” she said.
Sioux Falls, SD | Total Drag keeping vinyl records alive: A lot of us listen to a lot of our favorite tunes on our phones, and it’s amazing what we can find at the touch of a button. Yet, over the last several years, and especially during the pandemic, places like Total Drag record store have opened up a whole new world for music lovers. A new old new world. Vinyl records first came out in the 1940′s, when there were at least 7,000 record stores nationally. That number has since dwindled to 1,400, as people have shifted to digital music. Record albums and compact discs together account for about $1.1 billion in annual sales, a far cry from the $10 billion spent on streaming services. Some of Dan and Liz Nissen’s family and friends thought they were nuts when they opened Total Drag in 2014, and yet, there’s been an uptick in sales every year. “I don’t really see this going away,” Dan said.
Carpinteria, CA | Murphy’s Vinyl Shack is all about the “vibe.” Several years ago, I wandered into Murphy’s Vinyl Shack at its first location on the corner of Walnut and Carpinteria Avenue. Expecting to find the place stacked with vintage records, I was surprised by the selection of new vinyl, moves, books, comics, DVDs, games, cassette tapes and even the elusive 8-track. While chatting with the owner, Kevin Murphy, I fingered through a basket of small button pins and found an inch-round black and white picture of an anonymous Rockstar, raising a guitar above his head to smash on stage. “This guitar has seconds to live,” it says. I – deciding it was a metaphor for life – wear it on my hat as a mantra to this day. “And that’s what I love about this shop,” Murphy said, when I told him my story. “We want to make it easy and fun for the customer to walk into the store, no matter what their age, and rekindle a memory of their past or find something that sticks with them that they wouldn’t expect.”
Missoula, MT | The Largest Record Store In Montana Has More Than 10,000 Records: Montana is all about preserving the past, so it should come as no surprise that you’ll find over half a dozen record stores in the Treasure State. If you love vinyl, take a road trip to Missoula and check out Ear Candy. Not only is the selection here massive, but you’ll discover a lot of bands you may not have heard of before thanks to the founders’ extensive knowledge of the music industry. You might even find your next favorite song. This eclectic record shop feels right at home in this vibrant city. Founders John Fleming and John “Tex” Knesdek were already longtime veterans of the music scene when they launched this endeavor, having done everything from playing in bands themselves to handling event production and venue management. They do specialize in all kinds of electronic music (house, electro, etc.), hip hop, funk and soul, but you’ll also find plenty of classic rock and reggae in these aisles.
Wolverhampton, UK | Wolverhampton record shop still going after other city store’s closure causes confusion: A record shop owner in Wolverhampton has moved to remind people she is still open following the closure of different store in the city. Claire Howell has sold records for more than 30 years and first had a record shop at the age of 23. She then went on to exhibit at record fairs across the UK and Europe and even in the USA, eventually opening up Vinyl and Vintage in Wolverhampton. Following the closure of Oldies Unlimited, some regulars have contacted Claire under the impression her shop had closed its doors. Oldies’ shutters closed for the final time on December 5 after the shop had been trading in Wolverhampton since the 1960s. Claire said: “We are very much still open and we will continue to open while we are allowed to do so. “It is so sad when any shop closes, as we are losing our high street.
Sedalia, MO | Get the beat and some new to you vinyl in Jeff City and Columbia: I don’t know if you know this, but I collect records. Music on vinyl. And I was so disappointed when I moved to Sedalia three years ago because there were absolutely no record stores. Luckily, that’s since changed. We now have two places (three if you count Walmart) where you can get records in town. But variety is the spice of life. And there’s no telling what record you’ll find hiding in plain sight that you didn’t know you need. So Monday, James Harmon, and some of the #FridayNightMusicClub gang from Jammin Nuggets Music headed into Jefferson City and Columbia for a day of record browsing. In Sedalia, there are three places you can purchase records. Josey Books and Records in the Lamy Building at 108 W. Pacific. Jammin’ Nuggets Music at 115 S. Ohio. And the Walmart on Highway 50. Both Josey Books and Records and Jammin’ Nuggets Music are worth checking out and both have a good selection of used records.
Newark, DE | Rainbow Records owner Todd Brewer, providing music to Newark since 2013: Todd Brewer started out as a long-time customer of Rainbow Records. Then he saw an article announcing that the store would close, so along with his wife, Miranda, he bought the more-than-40-year-old business in 2013. “We thought, we’ve spent enough money there, maybe we should own the place,” Brewer said. He said it took a few years to understand how music distribution works, build up relationships with record companies and develop an understanding of the particular tastes of the Newark market. “You have to curate the styles of music that people are into in this area. That takes talking to a lot of people and that takes time,” Brewer said. “It’s my favorite thing to do here.” Punk rock, heavy metal, and hip-hop are consistent sellers at Rainbow. Punk and heavy metal are especially strong because of collectors who will buy the vinyl, CD, and cassette tape of their favorite band.
Newport, UK | Kriminal Records sets up shop in Newport’s Market Arcade: Music fans can get their fix, with a former market trader unveiling his new store in Newport city centre. With work to regenerate Market Arcade in Newport well under way – and the project set to be completed mid-January 2022 – reporter Leah Powell popped in for a chat with Dean Beddis, of Kriminal Records. The punk rocker was based in Newport Market – which is also nearing completion of a huge redevelopment project – but has been opeating online only for around 18 months. Prior to that he’d owned the business for 11 years and worked in the market since 1986. Kriminal Records offers a range of vinyl, records, and CDs and helps celebrate Record Store Day – an annual event since it first emerged in 2007. For Mr Beddis it’s not just a business, but a huge part of his life as he is passionate about music and sharing that passion with the community.
Berkeley, CA | The Largest Independent Record Store In Northern California Has Thousands Of Records To Choose From: For vinyl collectors and music enthusiasts across the world, Amoeba Music is practically a household name. With three iconic locations across California, this independent record store chain started a musical revolution when it first began opened its doors in 1990. Since then, Amoeba has continued to survive as owning physical media has seen fluctuations in popularity (FYI, owning vinyl is on the rise!) To this day, its original Berkeley location is still selling wax to the music-loving masses. If you’re a music lover, it’s likely you’ve heard of Amoeba Music, the independent record store that revitalized the vinyl record industry when it opened its original Berkeley store in 1990. With the rise of digital media and streaming over the years, it’s easy to assume that vinyl is dead. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth! Collecting vinyl records continues to be a popular hobby for old and young alike, thanks to places like Amoeba which have kept the hobby alive.
Stourbridge, UK | New vinyl records shop opens in Market Street, Stourbridge: A new Mecca for vinyl record fans has opened in Stourbridge. Lee Newman has opened Record Culture in Market Street, next to The Hop Vault. The shop, the only one of its kind between Worcester and Birmingham, specialises in new music – and Lee said: “We sell all the new releases that come out each week – rather than older, second-hand records.” The new venture also sells books and other items related to records and music and Lee, from Stourbridge, added: “While not quite ready to go yet, we’ll also be doing some very good quality coffee.” He said the response to the opening of the shop has been “really superb” and he added: “In the age of streaming, vinyl records is an industry that continues to grow year on year and is appealing to younger and younger groups of customers.”
