Spin it Off? Taylor Swift Selling More Vinyl Than Anyone

Posted by RiffYou On July 02, 2015 0 Comment

Not only is Taylor Swift powerful enough to get Apple Music to change its policy on artist royalties, she is evidently able to get her impressionable fans to purchase vinyl copies of her latest album, 1989.

According to Nielsen Music’s 2015 US mid-year charts (for the period of December 29, 2014 to June 28, 2015), the “Shake it Off” hit-machine has seen vinyl sales of her 1989 album reach the 34,000 copies sold mark – that’s more than anyone else.

In all, vinyl album sales continued to grow turing that six-month period, as they are up 38.4% year-over-year. In all, 5.6 million units sold.

Overall album sales in the US during that same timeframe decreased four percent from 120.9 million units sold, to 116.1 million. Meanwhile, CD sales dropped 10% to 56.6 million and digital album sales slipped one percent to 53.7 million. Interestingly, on-demand music streaming rose 92% over the same period of time from 70.3 billion to 135.2 billion.

While some may find it surprising that Swift is leading the vinyl charge, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Say what you will about Swift’s music and the mass-marketing machine she’s become, getting her demographic into purchasing vinyl can only help expand the format’s reach and perhaps serve as a gateway for potential future collectors.