Sure, this is still a small piece of overall recording sales in the US, but we keep seeing astonishing growth data. The latest, sourced from RIAA retail revenue data obtained this week, shows a near-fivefold revenue increase in vinyl over a five-year period. Which, when scaled to size, looks something like this...
Specifically, 2010 receipts—after returns—were $87.0 million, compared to $15.7 million in 2006. And, keep in mind, this also counts indie-focused distributors, owned by major label groups. Which makes sense, because indies are driving a lot of this action. Here's the breakdown, in both units and revenues (in millions, all net post-returns):
- 2006: 0.9 million units; $15.7 million revenue
- 2007: 1.3 million units; $22.9 million
- 2008: 2.9 million units; $56.7 million
- 2009: 3.2 million units; $60.2 million
- 2010: 4.0 million units; $87.2 million
