Music IndustryMusic News

Where are we in the sales race between CDs and vinyl this week?

Luminate, the monitor of all music consumption in the country, has new weekly numbers tracking the sales of CDs vs vinyl. While vinyl is outselling CDs in some countries, it’s more of a horserace here in Canada. Let’s take a look at the most recent numbers (the week ending March 21).

So far this year, Canadians have purchased 348,775 brand new CDs. That’s a drop of -19.7% from the same period last year, Meanwhile, 331,112 pieces of fresh vinyl walked out the door, a boost of over 31% from 2023. The difference is 17,663, which is pretty close, Keeo in mind that we’re only talking new vinyl, too, and nothing used sold in indie stores, online, and at record shows.

If we look at just last week, 32,186 CDs were sold, which is a drop of 6% when compared to the same week in 2023. As for vinyl, 25,315 units were sold. That’s a drop of 4% from the previous week.

Finally, we should talk about streaming, Canadians streamed 2,681 billion songs last week, down 0.6%.

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.

Alan Cross has 39682 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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