The Vinyl Revolution

According to a new report from the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), vinyl sales have surpassed digital in the UK for the first time ever. Sales of vinyl managed to reach £2.4m last week compared to the £2.1m of digital sales.

Not only have vinyl sales seen a significant increase, but digital sales have also fallen by almost half: the sale of digital downloads was at £4.4m at this time last year. But could this also be down to the numerous streaming services available?

The vinyl market has bounced back, growing steadily over the last eight years. So is this just further proof of the claim that everything sounds better on vinyl? After all, a recent study by Audio Engineering Library claimed that listening to MP3s can make you less happy.

Other reasons for the increase have also come down to accessibility. More albums are being released on vinyl, including movie soundtracks, and LPs are readily available in supermarkets and high street retailers, not just specialist record shops. The ESA also claimed that many more people, especially young people, are buying records as a physical representation of support for their favourite artists. That and a vinyl record is viewed as a more "collectable" item.

So is this a vinyl revolution and a sign that records are on their way to be making a glorious comeback? It certainly seems that way and could be creating a whole new generation of audiophiles.

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