Firm ICM Unlimited has surveyed over 2,000 members of the British public and has found that the appetite for vinyl records continues to grow.
While people 18 to 24 are still driving the vinyl resurgence, there is growing interest from those in older age groups. In the U.K., 21% of 18 to 24 year olds bought a vinyl record in the last month, up seven points from two years ago, while 11% of those between 25 and 34 made a purchase in the last thirty days. Similar increases were also seen in the 35 to 44 bracket. Overall, 7% of all people living in Britain had made a vinyl purchase during the time period.
Maurice Fyles, Research Director at ICM Unlimited said “We’ve been talking to consumers about their music purchasing behaviour for three years now and during that time we have seen a real resurgence in the appetite for vinyl. Fans of all genres are buying new and second-hand vinyl online and on the high street.
YouTube is the gateway to sales of music. It is used as a virtual library for every track, band, and style of music before buyers’ part with their cash. And once people decide what they want, as well as the major retailers – Amazon, the supermarkets and HMV – websites like eBay and discogs are meeting the demand for limited edition, rare and second-hand releases on vinyl and other physical formats.”
The most surprising statistic from the new survey is that a full 34% of those buying vinyl either don’t own or don’t use a turntable, lending credence to the theory that many are buying the format for its collectibility or for the artwork on the sleeves.
Maurice Fyles, Research Director at ICM Unlimited says: “For vinyl fans the format offers the chance to collect limited and luxury editions and enjoy the sleeve artwork and a different listening experience. The music industry has responded to the vinyl revival by launching a brand new vinyl-only chart. The combination of tracks from Ed Sheeran and Noel Gallagher alongside reissues of back catalogues from legends including David Bowie and Led Zeppelin promises to produce an eclectic top 20.”
In fact, 67% of 35 to 54 year olds identify themselves as collectors compared to just 22% of those 24 to 34. The price of vinyl releases may be part of the reason they are seen as collectibles, with records costing, on average, $27.90 compared to $12.36 for a CD.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Never miss a story! Get your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to the Noise11 Music Newsletter here
Listen to the Noise11 Music News channel now at iHeartRadio
Follow Noise11.com on Facebook and Twitter
more from vvnmusic.com
