Striking data has been published by Billboard’s Market Watch: vinyl sales year-on-year have fallen 33.3 percent. Many have shared these news as some sort of tragedy, like the end of a newly-found golden age. Some very basic research and a very simple solution presents itself to the problem.
Vinyl, CD and other sales are down by different margins but somehow the overall music market managed to grow. Still, many could come to the conclusion that a second wave of decline has come for physical media. Seeing the table below, published by Billboard surely is a little daunting at first:
This is definitely something grim but one thing is exponentially important: releases.
Having taken a look at the list of releases on Wikipedia, trying to limit list-building to the real superstars, it becomes evident – even if superstar can be subjective – that 2023 was just plain and simple a stronger year in pop music between January and October than 2024 has been.
More “widescreen” releases mean more marketing means more physical sales. Simple as that.
I chose to assemble the lists here of artists who released new music in the respective years:
| 2023 | 2024 |
| Sam Smith Miley Cyrus Depeche Mode Lana del Rey Metallica Ed Sheeran Foo Fighters Taylor Swift Post Malone Travis Scott Ed Sheeran | Justin Timberlake Beyoncé Dua Lipa Billie Eilish Imagine Dragons Eminem Post Malone Coldplay |
If 2023 still seems doubtful, it should be taken into account that the “top” artists mentioned here, and the ones in “the second line” are productions whose fans are more willing to buy music on physical media.
So there is nothing to worry about and what has proven to be true in the past, is still valid today: physical media is magical, can be gifted to loved ones, friends, colleagues and is just mezmerising to hold, let it be vinyl or CD.