The UK’s renewed love affair with vinyl continued emphatically through the festive period according to HMV’s chief executive Ian Topping.
Topping has revealed HMV was selling one record player every minute during the week before Christmas, while Amazon’s best selling audio product was also a turntable.
Gennaro Castaldo, spokesman for the BPI, has responded by predicting vinyl sales of two million by the end of 2016, this after barely 200,000 were purchased during the low of 2007. “Having faced near-extinction in 2007, when only 205,000 LPs were sold, it’s likely we’ll see the best part of two million copies purchased this year,” he’s said.
“While some fans are buying vinyl simply to own and collect it, many, naturally, want to be able to enjoy its warm, authentic sound, but unfortunately no longer have access to turntables.”
“So it’s no surprise if retailers are reporting a surge in demand for record players as one of the ‘must-have’ Christmas gifts this year.”