Survey: One-Third Of All Vinyl Buyers Don't Own Turntables, YouTube Major Gateway To Sales

Vinyl!

With RECORD STORE DAY slated for this SATURDAY, a survey by LONDON-based ICM unlimited tracks the vinyl resurgence, including the incredible fact 34% of all consumers of the traditional LP don't even own turntables.

The report also shows, that while 18-24-year-olds are major vinyl consumers, the 35-44-year-old group have also embraced the format.

In all, 7% of people bought vinyl in last month, up two percentage points from 2013,. One fifth (21%) of 18-24 year olds bought vinyl in the last month, up from 14% in 2013, while 11% of 25-34 year olds bought records in the last month, up from 9% in 2013.

ICM UNLIMITED Research Director MAURICE FYLES, said: "We have seen a real resurgence in the appetite for vinyl. Fans of all genres are buying new and second-hand vinyl online and on the high street."

Other findings: YOUTUBE is the gateway to sales of music. With one third (30%) of people visiting the site to find music, it is only slightly less influential than friends’ recommendations (32%) in buying new music. Research found 18-24 year olds discover more music on YOUTUBE at 62%, but every age group uses the video sharing website in some way – it’s 32% for 35-44 year olds and 29% for 45-54 year olds. This is considerably more than other digital sources including SHAZAM and SPOTIFY.

For BRITISH buyers, the main destinations for physical sales are AMAZON, supermarkets and HMV. Half of all vinyl buyers buy music on eBAY. 12% of people buy music from charity shops and 8% from independent record stores.

The survey found that many people that buy records never get them out of their sleeves, revealing a full 34% of vinyl buyers either don’t own or don’t use a turntable.  One fifth (22%) of vinyl buyers have turntables that aren’t set up or are kept in storage, and 4% don’t have turntables at all.

The number of 35-44 year olds playing vinyl has more than doubled since 2013 when 6% used their record players: now the figure is 14%. This is a combination of people getting their record player out of the loft or garage and buying a new one.  At one in ten, 35-44 year olds and 18-24s are the age groups with the highest stated intention of wanting to buy a turntable (10%).

Also revealed: niche genres such as blues, hip -hop, jazz, folk and reggae perform particularly well on vinyl. Overall, pop music is top (51%), followed by rock (41%) and classical at 34%.

At two thirds (67%), collecting is highest among 35-54 year olds, compared to one third (33%) of 18-24 year olds and one fifth (22%) of those aged 25-34. In terms of cost, vinyl is an investment. The average price of a vinyl album is £18.73, compared to £8.29 for a CD.

Added FYLES: “For vinyl fans the format offers the chance to collect limited and luxury editions, and enjoy the sleeve artwork and a different listening experience. The music industry has responded to the vinyl revival by launching a brand new vinyl-only chart. The combination of tracks from ED SHEERAN and NOEL GALLAGHER alongside reissues of back catalogs from legends including DAVID BOWIE and LED ZEPPELIN promises to produce an eclectic top 20.”

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