The vinyl record market is stronger than ever according to British retail company HMV. During the week before Christmas, the entertainment retail giant sold approximately one vinyl turntable per minute in the United Kingdom.
Bolstered by a young generation of music consumers looking for something concrete amidst a music landscape that has gone entirely digital, vinyl has seen a resurgence in recent years. This recent figure is further proof of the format's return to relevance.
"The vinyl revival is one of the fairytale success stories of recent years." said British Phonographic Institute spokesperson Gennaro Castaldo to the The Scotsman.
"Having faced near-extinction in 2007, when only 205,000 LPs were sold, it's likely we'll see the best part of two million copies purchased this year." He continued, "People of all ages are reconnecting with the format, including a new generation of engaged younger fans drawn to its emotional appeal at the heart of rock music's heritage."
According to Official Charts, the top-selling vinyl releases from the Christmas run up included recent hits like Adele's record breaking 25, Coldplay's latest release, A Headful of Dreams and Ed Sheeran's X.
Classic albums such as Nirvana's timeless Nevermind, Amy Winehouse's Back to Black and The Stone Roses' self-titled 1989 debut also featured in the top 10.
HMV CEO, Ian Topping, had this to say to The Scotsman about the vinyl revival of 2015, "Entertainment products form a major part of the Christmas shopping list. The gift of the year in 2015, though, has to be a turntable as we see a huge resurgence in the sales of vinyl."
For further proof of Vinyl's return to prominence, take a look at this announcement from Panasonic. The company recently announced it will be releasing an updated version of its popular technics turntable which should be good news for vinyl fans going into the new year.
