Vinyl Sales Exceed Compact Disc Sales

Vinyl Records Maintain Their Prominence at the Cash Register

By Evan Toth

Just last week the RIAA announced that vinyl records have outsold compact discs for the first time since 1987. At first, this data sounds surprising, but when one looks at the statistical data of compact disc sales and vinyl record sales, it begins to come into focus a bit more.

Compact disc sales are nowhere near as high as they were during their early 2000s heyday and - as you might expect - sales of CDs have dropped significantly. The vinyl record, on the other hand, has obviously seen a resurgence, and while there are more new vinyl records being sold today, that number is still nowhere near the salad days of the compact disc, or the salad days of vinyl record, for that matter.

Of course, don’t forget that digital sales, (streaming, etc) account for the bulk of all music sales today, leaving a small fragment of the market still remaining for vinyl, compact disc, and perhaps to some extent, the cassette tape, to battle one another.

Another interesting angle and element of news stories like these is that the data for used media sales – to my knowledge, at least - are never included in these statistics. It’s very possible to imagine that counting used sales for vinyl records would make numbers for that medium’s sales even higher. However, don’t count the compact disc out yet.

While sales of new compact discs may be currently taking a backseat to vinyl records, it’s very possible that there are plenty of music lovers out there who are snapping up used compact discs and taking advantage of the low prices, while they still remain low, at least.

In any case, it’s good news that the vinyl survival continues. As prices for some vinyl records rise, and as the overall economy continues its battle with inflation, more will be revealed as to how strong vinyl sales will remain in the coming year.

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