Quantcast

2020 VINYL: RECORDS BROKE RECORDS

The vinyl renaissance was in full flower last year, as a mix of classic LPs and primarily cutting-edge current and recent albums combined to sell 28 million units, the highest total since scanning began in 1991, while setting a record for the 15th consecutive year.

Harry StylesFine Line led the way with a stunning 232k, followed by Billie Eilish’s WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? (196k), Queen’s Greatest Hits (176k), The BeatlesAbbey Road (161k) and the classic-rock soundtrack Guardians of the Galaxy, Awesome Mix, Vol. 1 (152k).

Landmark albums and best-of collections from Bob Marley and the Wailers, Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, Nirvana, Prince, Creedence, Frank Sinatra and The Vince Guaraldi Trio made the Top 25, as did modern-day masterworks from Kendrick Lamar, Amy Winehouse and Lana Del Rey. Current and recent releases from Tyler, The Creator, Taylor Swift, Khalid and Mac Miller made the cut as well.

Vinyl album sales were up 46.2% in 2020, accounting for 41% of all physical albums sold, while generating more revenue than CDs, thanks to a unit price close to $30. To give you some perspective, those 28m vinyl sales were nearly equal in volume to 20 weeks of the Top 50 in total activity on the year.


NEAR TRUTHS: KINGDOMS
File under: The enemy of my enemy is my friend. (3/26a)
ONE SHINING HITS LIST
She shoots, she scores! (3/26a)
YTD MARKET SHARE
Zeroing in on the elite teams (3/28a)
BEST IN THE WEST:
STEVE BERMAN
High time for another Eminem skit (3/26a)
MUSIC REVENUE TOPPED $17B IN 2023: RIAA
Streaming subscriptions lead the charge. (3/27a)
THE NEW UMG
Gosh, we hope there are more press releases.
TIKTOK BANNED!
Unless the Senate manages to make this whole thing go away, that is.
THE NEW HUGE COUNTRY ACT
No, not that one.
TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN PLAYLIST
Now 100% unlicensed!
 Email

 First Name

 Last Name

 Company

 Country
CAPTCHA code
Captcha: (type the characters above)