In 2014, Americans Bought Nearly Eight Million Vinyl Records
As the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday (Dec. 10), 2014 marked an enormous year for vinyl records. Sales were up 49-percent compared to 2013 in the U.S., with nearly eight million records being sold.
It shouldn’t be a surprise, but the No. 1 vinyl album of the year, sales-wise, is Jack White’s ultra-LP, ‘Lazaretto.’ With its many goodies -- including locked grooves, holograms and hidden tracks under the center labels -- ‘Lazaretto’ proves to be much more than just an album; it’s a unique piece of vinyl history. It has sold 75,700 since being released on June 10, according to Nielsen SoundScan data.
‘Lazaretto’ is the best-selling vinyl record since Pearl Jam’s ‘Vitalogy.’ (It’s important to note that even though vinyl was experiencing a severe depression in 1994, Pearl Jam decided to release ‘Vitalogy’ exclusively on vinyl two weeks before the CD and cassette editions hit store shelves, which no doubt help cement its massive numbers.)
Arctic Monkeys’ ‘AM’ comes in at No. 2, selling almost 41,000 copies. (‘AM’ is the top-selling vinyl LP in the U.K., just so you know.)
There is a big drop in sales to No. 3, which is the Black Keys’ ‘Turn Blue,’ moving 28,300 copies. Lana Del Rey’s ‘Born to Die’ (27,200) and Beck’s ‘Morning Phase’ (25,200) round out the Top 5.
You can read the Wall Street Journal’s complete report, ‘The Biggest Music Comeback of 2014: Vinyl Records’ -- which also examines how factories try to keep up with the sudden demand of new vinyl -- here.
It's interesting to examine the top vinyl albums of the year compared to the most listened to songs on Spotify of 2014; while wax attracts fans of Jack White, Spotify seems to attract a mildly different audience (the top Spotify male artist is Ed Sheeran and the top female artist is Katy Perry).
Are you a vinyl fanatic? How many of this year's Top 5 best-selling vinyl albums do you have in your stacks? Let us know in the comments section below!
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