.Against All Odds, Vinyl Sales Still on the Rise

Earlier this year, we reported that according to Nielsen SoundScan, vinyl album sales in 2008 reached an all-time high of 1.88 million (that is, since Nielsen started keeping track in 1990). 2008’s mark was nearly double 2007’s of 990,000, proving that the medium is rapidly bucking the industry’s greater trend toward digital. But according to a just-released news brief from Nielsen, 2009’s figures are on pace to smash 2008’s — sales to date just broke the 2 million mark, compared to 1.5 million at the same time last year. That means if the trend continues, which it almost certainly will, we’ll be looking at well over 2.5 million units sold by the end of the year. It’s still just a drop in the bucket compared to digital (Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, BEP, and Taylor Swift have already sold over 10 million digital tracks each). But kudos to the bands, labels, and manufacturers (like San Francisco’s Pirates Press) who have helped stage this unlikeliest, and most ear-pleasing of comebacks. The only question: When does the vinyl bubble pop?

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