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Vinyl and Cassette Sales Continued To Grow Last Year (fortune.com)

Posted by msmash on from the closer-look dept.

Albums sold on vinyl and cassette both saw a growth in sales according to BuzzAngle Music's End-Year Report profiling U.S. music industry consumption for 2018. From a report: Vinyl sales grew by just shy of 12% from 8.6 to 9.7 million sales, while cassette sales grew by almost 19% from 99,400 to 118,200 copies sold in the US, The Verge reported. Sixty-six percent of those vinyl sales were of albums that are more than three years old and feature classic bands like The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, and Pink Floyd, reported BuzzAngle. Cassettes saw popularity in newer releases. CDs on the other hand have declined by 18.5% in popularity leading to a total decline in physical album sales of over 15%, reported The Verge. Meanwhile, audio streaming saw an increase of 41.8%, the largest of all music consumption.

7 of 272 comments (clear)

  1. Hiss and crackle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Some people get their hiss and crackle that way. I choose fire and snakes to accompany my digital music.

    1. Re:Hiss and crackle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      I have no idea what you are talking about. I grew up with that stuff, glad its gone, I do audio for a hobby and digital is the only way to go.

      analog is for hipsters OR for those who have exceptional analog systems, and that's really rare, today.

      I listen to vinyl songs on youtube. They sound much better than the HQ CD version on youtube. The bass is clear on vinyl, and other instruments are also clear and separated better. Vinyl is an audiophile medium, whereas CDs are for people don't appreciate the finer details.

    2. Re: Hiss and crackle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Taking their cue, I made a cassette of a Youtube recording of an album and it was even betterer.

  2. Did you know by BLToday · · Score: 3, Funny

    “Did you know that disco record sales were up 400% for the year ending 1976? If these trends continues... AAY!"

  3. Re:Mindfulness ,doing something with purpose by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 2, Funny

    Perhaps kids are learning that listening to an album is pretty damned awesome.

    No, you remember that in 1973 it was pretty damned awesome to be young and in the arms of your old girlfriend as you listened to that album, baked on whatever pills you had bought in the street that morning.

    There is no way your grandkids will ever be able to reproduce that experience. They are visiting you at Retirecrest listening to the album through your carefully coddled and patched McIntosh amp, but all they see is a drooling old guy with a recording that hisses and pops. That 1973 experience was yours and yours alone.

  4. Re:Cassettes? Really? by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 4, Funny

    Cassettes more portable? I guess you never experienced the glory of a turntable in your dash...

    --
    Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  5. Re:People don't understand what digital music is by imnotanumber · · Score: 5, Funny

    Vinyl is the music equivalent of homeopathy.

    Well. Not quite... homeopathy would be a track with only the cracks and other noises and then you would imagine that the music is playing.