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Cassette sales actually went up in 2016
We're barely a month into the new year, but it's already clear some of us still want to live in the past. Case in point: US cassette tape sales actually grew in 2016, with a whopping 129,000 copies sold. That might not be as many as the number of vinyl albums sold in the same year (13.1 million!), but it's an impressive 74 percent increase from the 74,000 sold in 2015.
UK vinyl sales hit a 25-year high in 2016
We hardly need more convincing of vinyl's resurgence over the past few years, but a report from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) today details that more records were sold in the UK in 2016 than have been for the past 25 years. Based on Official Charts Company data, over 3.2 million vinyls were purchased in 2016 -- a volume the BPI predicted early last year -- representing a 53 percent increase over 2015 and the highest total since 1991. The death of several music icons no doubt helped (for lack of a better word), with David Bowie's Blackstar being the best-selling vinyl of the year.
UK vinyl sales made more money than music downloads last week
Digital music might be the future, but legacy formats like vinyl aren't going away any time soon. New figures from the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) have shown that more money was spent on vinyl records than digital music downloads in the UK last week, highlighting a significant shift in how consumers are choosing to buy their music.
Injection-molded vinyl could offer better sound and lower costs
The vinyl resurgence trudges on and a Dutch company is working on a new production method that could bring big changes to how the format is made. Symcon built an injection molding system for pressing vinyl records that not only reduces production costs and provides better audio quality, but it also uses 65 percent less energy during the manufacturing process. Energy is saved by not using steam to heat and press records and the company hopes it can eventually cut turnaround times from 12-16 weeks down to two.
Jack White's label played a vinyl record at 94,000 feet
Jack White's Third Man Records label is no stranger to using technological feats to draw publicity, but its latest feat is something truly special. The company recently teamed up with Students and Teachers in Near Space to become the first to play a vinyl record, the Carl Sagan-sampling "A Glorious Dawn," at the edge of space -- to be exact, in the stratosphere at 94,413 feet. As you might gather from the video (skip to 1:21:20 to see the maximum ascent), it involved a lot more than strapping a turntable to a high-altitude balloon. Key designer Kevin Carrico explains that there were quite a few technical considerations needed to keep the record spinning for as long as possible on its journey.
'The Force Awakens' vinyl soundtrack is etched with holograms
If you haven't already emptied your savings account on Star Wars memorabilia, Disney is back to tempt you once more. Another version of The Force Awakens soundtrack is on the way as a two LP set that has 3D holograms etched onto the surface of the records. Of course, you'll need to find the proper viewing angle in order to catch a glimpse of the spinning illustrations of a TIE Fighter and the Millennium Falcon. Disney recommends that you just shine your phone's flashlight on the vinyl to reveal the animated artwork.
Vinyl sales continue to surge in the UK
The vinyl revival shows no sign of slowing down. Today, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) has announced that 637,056 LP albums were sold in the first three months of 2016. That's a 62 percent increase on the same period last year, and puts vinyl's cut of the UK album market at 3.9 percent, up from 2.1 percent in Q1 2015. Vinyl sales smashed industry expectations last year, climbing for the eighth time in a row to 2.1 million. The BPI now estimates that sales will breach 3 million in 2016 -- possibly 3.5 million -- if the format continues on its current trajectory.
