Online vinyl sales have gone through the roof since the pandemic started

September 2, 2020 Alan Cross 0 Comments

Sales of new vinyl have taken a hit in the page of coronavirus (I look at the dire Canadian situation here). But what about used vinyl? Those sales are not included in the weekly data from Nielsen/MRC.

A semi-annual report from online marketplace/database Discogs.com say that physical sales on the site were up almost 30% since this viral shitshow started. Breaking things down by format:

Vinyl, +33.72% (75% of the transactions on the site)
CDs, +31.03%
Cassettes, +30.52% (But don’t get excited a total of 137,000 units were sold, compared to 5.8 million vinyl records in the same period)

The biggest spike came in April when the first wave of the virus was at its peak.

(Via NME)

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

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