FEATURE:
Keep Groovin’
IN THIS PHOTO: Georgia is the Love Record Stores 2021 Ambassador/PHOTO CREDIT: Wendy Barrett/Press
Love Record Stores and the Continuing Vinyl Explosion
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A lot of the news that we are receiving…
PHOTO CREDIT: @amartino20/Unsplash
regarding music is negative or uncertain. When it comes to festivals, there is good news in the sense that many might be able to restart this year. Let’s hope that the pandemic does not disturb some optimistic ambitions. One thing that is not being temporised or disrupted by the pandemic is vinyl sales. I will come to that soon but, to tie in with that, earlier this week, we learned that the Love Record Stores day campaign is back for its second year. This NME article explains more:
“The Love Record Stores campaign is returning for a second year in September following last year’s hugely successful fundraising drive for independent record stores across the UK.
Over £1 million in sales was taken during the inaugural Love Record Stores Day in June 2020, with the initiative being launched to support record stores who, like many other businesses, have faced difficult trading conditions throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
Love Record Stores 2021 will be held on September 4, its organisers have confirmed today (March 11). It’s hoped that given the UK government’s recent announcement of its ‘roadmap’ out of coronavirus lockdown – which could see a total lifting of restrictions by June 21 at the very earliest – music fans will be able to visit and support their local or favourite record stores in-person for this year’s fundraising event.
Georgia has been appointed as this year’s Love Record Stores ambassador, taking over the role from Tim Burgess.
“I’m not just a fan of records: I’ve bought them, sold them, swapped them and collected them. Records and record shops have always been such a significant part of my life,” the London-based artist, producer and former record store employee said in a statement.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be an ambassador for Love Record Stores 2021 – I can’t wait to celebrate and honour the history of record shops and get the next generation into buying records.”
You can find out more about Love Record Stores 2021 here”.
PHOTO CREDIT: @rocinante_11/Unsplash
There is exciting stuff happening regarding record stores this year. This year’s Record Store Day takes place on 12th June. Let’s hope that shops can open to full capacity and, just a couple of weeks shy of all social restrictions being lifted (let’s hope), it will be a bigger turnout than last year’s. I have written a lot about vinyl because I feel that it is important to note when there is something positive or a development that warrants attention. One may imagine that restricted physical shopping would haemorrhage the success of vinyl. Conversely, there seems to be no end to the popularity of vinyl! Maybe it is the tactile nature of a record and the fact that one gets a different listening experience compared to digital. It is good that Love Record Stores 2021 has been green-lit, as many smaller record shops have struggled to keep going. Online shopping has helped but, like many, that has only slightly helped them to stay afloat. Music Week published an article this week that discussed the latest positive news regarding vinyl sales:
“While the pandemic has clearly hurt CD sales in the last year as HMV and record shops were forced to close, multiple lockdowns have not reduced vinyl sales. Far from it: according to exclusive Official Charts Company data, vinyl album sales for the year to date (chart week nine) stand at 748,077 units, an increase of 7.8% compared to the same period last year.
The growth has continued in tandem with digital consumption – year-to-date audio streams hit 20.7 billion last week (up 5.4% year-on-year).
Looking back to the momentum in 2020, Q4 vinyl sales were up 25% year-on-year. The annual increase for 2020 was 11.5% (4.8 million units) amid an overall physical decline of 24.6% to 21.1m units.
PHOTO CREDIT: @victrola/Unsplash
According to major label execs interviewed for our 2020 analysis feature in the all-new monthly Music Week, the continued growth in vinyl last year suggests an increase in the number of people now playing LPs.
“I think people were spending more time at home and investing in a turntable,” said Charles Wood, Sony Music UK’s VP of market planning and media. “Vinyl had a great year last year – it would have been even better if we were able to get more of it. Across all majors, there are relatively long lead times now to replenish stock.”
“With people being at home, vinyl is certainly one of the things they have turned to for pleasure and enjoyment,” added David Hawkes, MD of Universal Music UK’s Commercial Division. “So it doesn’t surprise me at all that the magic of vinyl has played a big part [during the pandemic].”
“As the streaming market’s matured, you’re starting to see some of the consumption change,” said Derek Allen SVP, commercial at Warner Music. “It is possibly a lockdown phenomenon, with people just becoming nostalgic and listening to music they used to listen to.
“This whole ownership culture that has been discovered by the younger generation is what is driving vinyl consumption, alongside the diehards who used to have their record collection sat in the corner gathering dust. The vital thing is that it's a massive opportunity for catalogue divisions across the industry. That is partly what's driving it – people are filling all the gaps [in their collections]. These are the opportunities, and the demand is there.”
Warner Music’s Rhino label had the No.1 vinyl album last year with Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. There were also strong new or recent releases in the Top 10 vinyl chart for the year, including Harry Styles, Kylie Minogue, AC/DC, Idles and Arctic Monkeys.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kylie Minogue/PHOTO CREDIT: Dave Benett
“The kind of people that are still buying records are hardcore music fans,” said Proper Music MD Drew Hill. “The casual music fan has probably moved to become a streaming consumer. The people buying physical probably went to a lot of gigs. The fact that no one's been able to spend any money on buying a gig ticket for a year now, it means that there’s more money coming into the recorded music business.
“So maybe someone who bought one record a week or two records a month is buying twice what they were buying before, just because they've got more money to spend. Lockdown has been a disaster for the live side of the business, but the physical side has potentially been protected by the fact that those hardcore music fans have got a little bit more money and a lot more time. If you can't go out in the evening and go to the pub or go to a gig, then maybe you want to listen to some more records”.
This is all very heartening and encouraging! I think that compact discs will struggle to succeed and resonate when many people are relying on streaming services and others prefer vinyl. It can be hard to compete against the digital tide. For that reason, discovering news that vinyl is in good shape should give heart to the industry and record stores. With Love Record Stores and Record Store Day highlighting the importance of our local vinyl vendor, I would not be surprised if there was even better news to report later in the year. I myself prefer vinyl to digital, as you feel like you have this real and precious thing in your possession. Putting a record on the turntable and dropping the needle is a pleasure I will never tire of! Some record shops are battling for survival but, across the country, many are reporting good news. Whether people are ordering online or they are participating in a click-and-collect service, music lovers are not turning their back on vinyl. At a strange and difficult time, this is…
PHOTO CREDIT: @priscilladupreez/Unsplash
REALLY inspiring to hear.