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“The total for 2014 sales was 47,320 albums and 4,624 single,” said Philippa Hayes, the director at Gfk responsible for the Irish music and video charts. “Already sales of albums [in 2015] are higher than in 2014. You would need to go back to the early 1990s to find vinyl albums selling in the quantities they are today.”
Vinyl sales take off as it recovers its groove
Siobhán Maguire Published: 11 October 2015
Music fan Kevin Ireland has been collecting records since his 40th birthday (Bryan Meade)
IT’S A record. Sales of vinyl in Ireland have reached their highest level in 20 years, with the number of albums and singles sold in 2015 already surpassing the total for last year.
Figures released by Gfk Chart-Track, a London-based company which has been compiling the Irish charts since 1992, show that 47,463 vinyl LPs and 3,728 vinyl EPs have been sold so far this year. The combined sale of 51,191 is 60% ahead of the 30,605 sold in the same period last year.
According to the industry, the vinyl revival was worth over €1.5m in Ireland last year, with €1.09m spent on albums and €48,000 on singles.
“The total for 2014 sales was 47,320 albums and 4,624 single,” said Philippa Hayes, the director at Gfk responsible for the Irish music and video charts. “Already sales of albums [in 2015] are higher than in 2014. You would need to go back to the early 1990s to find vinyl albums selling in the quantities they are today.”
Sales fell to 11,153 in 2012 but gradually regained popularity as more discerning listeners opted for vinyl over digital.
Dedicated followers of fashion, such as hipsters and vintage-loving teenagers, are identified among the buyers, as well as middle-aged music purists with a lifelong allegiance to vinyl. Hayes said older music fans and DJs are among the keenest collectors.
Last year, Hozier was the biggest selling vinyl album in Ireland. This year, a re-release of Nirvana’s Unplugged in New York is the bestseller, followed by Hozier. Records average in price from €12 up to €30 but tend to come with a modern twist: inside the sleeve is a CD and a code for a download.
“When we were young a record collection was a very important thing to have — it very much defined us,” said Hayes. “Maybe in an age of Spotify and streaming, where records are no longer owned, there is a need to continue this tradition. Vinyl is very attractive and collectable — especially with so many special editions being released.”
Simon Palmer, a Dublin DJ who presents Back2Basics, an all- vinyl dance music show on RTE Pulse, said: “Part of the record resurgence is thanks to companies like Music On Vinyl re-releasing classic albums on 180-gram vinyl, so most of the them are double or triple albums, each disc being 12in quality.”
Irish music stores are increasing their stocks of vinyl to facilitate the trend. When Tower Records moved to Dawson Street last year after 21 years on Wicklow Street, it flagged an extended vinyl collection as one of the reasons.
Clive Branagan, a manager in the store, said: “Vinyl has never really gone away but it is more popular now. We have a lot of teenagers buying vinyl, but men and women of all ages are in browsing through the records too. Some of our biggest-selling albums have been Villagers and Arctic Monkeys, so that gives you an idea of who is buying.
“Then there was an album by Sufjan Stevens which sold more on vinyl than in CD, while reissues from Bob Marley, Queen, the Beatles and Fleetwood Mac are also popular.”
Branagan said the emergence of Record Store Day, a global event that started in 2008 promoting independent record shops, has been a catalyst in the resurgence of vinyl.
“Musicians and bands got behind the idea and it promotes good music and the idea of shopping in your local independent music store.”
Kevin Ireland, an Australian who lives in Dublin, said he has recently renewed his own interest in owning vinyl after being given a record player for his 40th birthday.
“I had a big collection of records in my 20s and then CDs came into fashion and I got rid of all my vinyl in the 1990s and then two years ago my wife bought me a record player for my 40th birthday and I have been collecting ever since.
“I can’t stop now. I’ve even gone to The Rolling Stone Top 500 list and starting buying albums from the list online and in stores and at markets.”
killed me to even type it!as long as I get to use the unnecessary S i'm happy
Less vinyl/fewer records.
killed me to even type it!
Turned out there was something wrong with it and I had it repaired. Happy days etcI decided to have another go at setting up my record player properly. None of the fucking instructions or youtube videos or in the manual seem to work according to plan on my record player so as usual I've ended up just setting the weight forward on the arm until the needle sits on the record with as little pressure as I can get and then hope for the best. Do any of you do this too? If I follow the instructions the arm just waves around in the air and the needle doesn't stay anywhere near the record.
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