Published
Tue, Nov 10, 2015, 20:40
- Buyers under 25 account for over half the sales of new wax.
The vinyl record industry is poised to continue its comeback, with over nine million LPs sold in the first half of 2015, according to Recording Industry Association of America statistics.
In 2014, more than 13 million albums sold to American consumers. Per the new stats, 2015 will be another banner year for the medium, with young, male customers leading the charge. The RIAA notes that 2015 will be vinyl's strongest since 1989 (the year that preceded the CD's takeover of the of the recorded music industry). As a whole, vinyl still represents a small fraction of music sales, making up only seven percent of the market.
CNBC visited Independent Record Pressing in Bordentown, New Jersey while reporting on the story, documenting a trend that has pushed back release dates for many of the records that fill RA's pages. Sean Rutkowski, the plant's GM, told CNBC "we could run these presses 24 hours a day, seven days a week and still not be able to meet demand."