Vinyl Gains More Visibility on Urban Outfitters Partnership With SXSW 'Make Your Own Record' Event

Vinyl continues its slow but steady march upward in dollar sales and mindshare as evidenced by increased presence at retail and in the mainstream media. Adweek ran a love letter to vinyl this week ahead of South by Southwest, saying retro turntable company Crosley Radio will staff a section of Urban Outfitters Space24Twenty. In the Crosley section at SXSW, attendees will be given the chance to “record a song live in our pop-up studio and have it pressed to vinyl instantly,” it said. The Make Your Own Record event runs 2-6 p.m. March 16-19. Adweek also reported that Crosley, as part of a push into experiential marketing, is launching a mobile record store, the Crosley Cruiser, to travel across the U.S., appearing at music festivals, pop-up shops, flea markets and record stores to promote vinyl and the Crosley brand. Crosley didn't respond to questions. Elsewhere, Barnes & Noble Chief Operating Officer Jaime Carey last week countered more gloomy news about plummeting Nook sales with a positive report on surprisingly buoyant vinyl sales in the company’s recently ended quarter (see 1603030058). Carey cited double-digit growth in vinyl record sales, calling it a relatively new category for the retailer that has done “amazingly well.” The retailer plans to up its commitment to vinyl. Nielsen figures indicate vinyl is on a 10-year upswing with 12 million LPs sold last year. Some 68 percent of vinyl sales are in the rock category, Nielsen said. RIAA’s mid-year 2015 report said 9.2 million vinyl albums had been sold, a 42 percent increase over first half 2014, while sales grew from $145.8 million to $221.8 million. CDs, by contrast, fell 27 percent in units and 31 percent in dollars, RIAA said, to 41 million units generating $494 million in sales.