Thought the vinyl comeback would die off, or at least flatten out?
Maybe next year. According to the New York Post, Best Buy will soon start selling vinyl across roughly 100 stores. That is a pilot program that could soon expand, depending on initial reaction. The pilot stores will sell roughly 200 records each, spanning about 8 square feet. In 2008, sales of vinyl recordings nearly doubled to 1.9 million in the US, according to Nielsen Soundscan.
That represents a sliver of total recording sales, though companies large and small are warming to the trend – and, potentially extending it. Just recently, EMI started released vinyl albums, and the Best Buy move would have been unthinkable just a few years back.
On a smaller basis, entrepreneurs have something to gain. This is a format that appeals to a nostalgic audience both young and old, as well as the music-obsessed. In Los Angeles, three new vinyl shops have suddenly popped up, according to the LA Times.
But this newfound fame is bound to create some bizarre moments. At Musexpo in Los Angeles on Monday, TopSpin topper Ian Rogers shared a surprising story about fans buying vinyl at a merch table. “Half of them didn’t even have a turntable,” Rogers relayed, describing the action around an unnamed band. “They just wanted the collectible piece.”