Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Greatest Hits’ on Red Vinyl Leads Biggest Record Store Day Yet: 733,000 vinyl albums were sold, industry-wide, in the U.S. in the week ending April 26. Record Store Day once again powered historic sales numbers for vinyl albums and singles in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music. The 11th annual festivities, staged on April 21, helped yield a whopping 733,000 vinyl albums sold in the week ending April 26 — a record for Record Store Day week, and the third-largest weekly sum for vinyl albums since Nielsen Music began tracking sales in 1991. Further, of that sum, 580,000 vinyl albums were sold at independent retailers — the single largest week for the format at the retail sector in Nielsen Music history.
‘It’s a great shot in the arm’: Record Store Day 2018 album sales up by a third: Record Store Day 2018 saw album sales increase by 33% year-on-year, according to Official Charts Company data for April 21. Record Store Day organisers reported an overall increase in unit sales of 7% year-on-year as consumers moved towards album releases. It’s estimated that 60,000 LPs and 30,000 vinyl singles were sold. Based on OCC figures, the estimated value of vinyl sales was up 16% compared to last year’s Record Store Day. The majority of the 240-plus shops taking part reported sales increasing by between 10% and 20% year-on-year. “Finances wise, we were about 15% up on last year – a total which at the time we thought could not be surpassed,” said Jon Tolley of Banquet Records in Kingston.
Record Store Day hits new sales peak: David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen helped Record Store Day reach a new peak in 2018. Vinyl sales in the UK were up 16% year-on-year, according to the Official Charts Company, with 60,000 albums and 30,000 singles changing hands. It was the same in the US, where 733,000 vinyl albums were bought in the week ending 26 April, breaking a sales record for the format. David Bowie’s Welcome To The Blackout was among the most in-demand releases. The three-disc live album, recorded on the star’s Isolar II Tour in 1978, was a Record Store Day exclusive. Not only did it top the UK vinyl chart, but entered the official Top 40 at number 22. It was also the second best-seller in America, just behind a red vinyl edition of Bruce Springsteen’s Greatest Hits.
Are there negative effects of Record Store Day? Now that you asked… Indie bands rely on vinyl releases to make a living in an era when streaming can literally pay one penny per thousand or more listens. The records make real money for the bands and especially for those selling them on tour. The irony is that these bands may be a victim of the success of RSD, as major labels are are booking the few vinyl pressing plants left months in advance in order to have stock available on RSD. Newer pressing plants are slowly coming online, but at present the demand for vinyl outstrips the supply, in part due to the success of RSD in reminding consumers that records can be a quality medium.
Nyack Sketch Log: Main Street Beat: While the name of Nyack’s only record shop has changed, the staff, stylings and singer/songwriter owners remain the same. Amy Bezunartea and Jennifer O’Connor announced this weekend that their store will no longer share the name of their record label, Kiam. Main Street Beat is now emblazoned on the door where music fans can find new releases from the indy label, previously owned classic vinyl records and an eclectic offering of books and clothing, curated by Amy. Main Street Beat has become a fixture in the cultural life of a village where creatives have lived and worked for decades.
