Physical music has outsold digital downloads in the US for the first time since 2011
2017 was a big year for vinyl
A new report from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) reveals that in 2017, music downloads took 15% of the country’s overall music sales while physical sales came in at 17%.
While streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music hold the majority with 65% of the market - netting a total of 5.7 billion in sales in 2017 - digital download sales dropped by 25% this year as opposed to physical releases which saw only a 4% drop.
The reason for such high-stats being attached to the number of physical sales falls directly on the shoulders of vinyl collectors. While formats such as CD fell by 6% in sales, vinyl sales rose up a solid 10%. In total, vinyl sales in the US netting an overall revenue of $395 million.
While this may come as good news to vinyl enthusiasts of the world, Mixmag asks the question "is the vinyl resurgence actually helping dance music?" Learn more here
Cameron is Mixmag's US Editorial Intern. Follow him on Twitter here
Mixmag will use the information you provide to send you the Mixmag newsletter using Mailchimp as our marketing platform. You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us. By clicking sign me up you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.
