Shopping and promotions on Black Friday (Nov. 27) helped push vinyl album sales to a historic high in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.
In the week of Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 1.253 million vinyl albums were sold (up 56%) — the largest sales week for the format since Nielsen Music/MRC Data began electronically tracking music sales in 1991. It’s only the second time that weekly vinyl album sales surpassed 1 million in the Nielsen Music/MRC Data era. The last time it happened was just under a year ago, when 1.243 million were sold in the week ending Dec. 26, 2019.
Bolstering the robust sales week was Record Store Day Black Fridayfestivities at independent record stores, as indie physical store sales accounted for 542,000 vinyl LPs sold in the week ending Dec. 3 (up 135%). That’s the second-largest week ever for indie store vinyl album sales — runner-up only to Record Store Day 2019’s week (673,000; week ending April 11, 2019). Record Store Day Black Friday traditionally sees the release of an array of limited-edition and exclusive vinyl albums, which assist in driving big sales numbers.
