Is vinyl REALLY outselling CDs?

[@freddynietzsche4604]

Another interesting thing to note is that used CD sales on Discogs have gone up every year for the last five years.

[@legrandmaitre7112]

Yes that's correct. And John hasn't talked about the market for used CDs - which should not be ignored.

[@stephenjon3502]

They have, but no where in the realms of vinyl - especially old soul and reggae. Prices have gone thru the roof.

[@chairthrower]

You can get so many CDs on Discogs for under $5 shipped. It's dangerous.

[@AudioAl5195]

This makes total sense. It’s so hard to shop for CDs except for online. I can’t even find a store in my area that sells new CDs. Vinyl yes but most have dropped CDs.

[@jethrotull2142]

@@AudioAl5195 Where do you live?

[@ZigUncut]

It's like how the cinema industry keeps banging on about the rise of box office pointing to a cinema boom, whilst forgetting that actually attendance is down.

[@Kevin_Carlson]

Thank you for giving the CD the appreciation and respect it deserves.

[@IceBullit]

I would like to go down the vinyl road but as shown in the video they are usually 3-4 times more expensive than the CD release. Also you can still get CD players that are still good for thrift shops (as well as CDs) for super cheap... which makes the format (as far as physical media) much more approachable especially for those who do not have a lot of money but like good sound.

[@andreassouth1523]

I will always buy cds. Always.

[@rael2099]

The exact thing happened with CDs back in the last days of vinyls. CDs were way more expensive than vinyl and cassette tapes. I'm daring to say that the industry used the same revenue metric to push the boom of the CD because it was taking too long to make the technology available to the regular consumer. CD format was a luxury item for maybe more than 10 years. And we can see that, in a few years after the boom of CDs, the prices lowered. I'm afraid that with the incompetence of the current record industry, vinyl records are not going to get cheaper any time soon. In fact, they're insanely more expensive today so we have an industry that is addicted to that inflated revenue, and they have no plans to move it forward, and they'll have no problem in killing the vinyl resurgence when people stop buying them because they're too damn expensive.

[@markmedeiros3137]

As a product manager in a different industry I can tell you that we spend a lot of time managing to revenue, units sold and profit margins. Revenue is the life blood of any industry but all of the “key performance indicators “ are important. Personally, I’m curious about sales in the secondary market, too.

[@Zzz-lz9kb]

Facts matter. I had no idea. I followed the media narrative and language and assumed "more" meant more units. I buy vinyl and CD's. But I much prefer listening to vinyl. And I happen to live in a USA community that still greatly values music on vinyl. 50 year old record shop still going strong here.

[@ericjensen9091]

85% CDs, 15% vinyl for me. I appreciate your love of CDs. This is an interesting report on sales revenue vs actual unit sales. Thank you for shedding light on this issue, Mr. Darko.

[@thanawitsagulthang6471]

The "Cha-Ching!" sound effect added for total-revenue and total-unit-sold is absolutely adorable. I love it!🤣

[@andygilbert1877]

I saw those figures and came to the same conclusion. In the UK vinyl typically cost 2-3 times the price of a CD. From an industry perspective maybe it’s about getting you to dump your CDs for vinyl, a bit like before that they wanted you to dump your vinyl to buy CDs…

[@tomvdb2763]

I guess if a single real to real tape sold for 5 trillion euro in 2023, that would be the top selling format that year!

[@chopper4484]

I’m a CD guy, but struggling now to get CD’s on date of release whereas the Vinyl is available for 2-3x the price. I’m sticking with CD’s though & my next upgrade will be to a better CD player rather than starting a vinyl collection from scratch .

[@fredholmes1]

You are part of the future of physical format music.

[@legrandmaitre7112]

That's what I've done Chopper. It's ironic that CD players now sound better than ever. Both Darko and I have been delighted with our Marantz players we've bought this year.

[@chopper4484]

@@legrandmaitre7112 I’m making do with my Yamaha CDC 555 from 1996 but will upgrade soon as the CD door needs push to close 😂 I primarily use KZbin music for streaming which is not ideal but ok for mobile with EarPods or in the car

[@lukasmurmann625]

I love vinyl. Not just for the sound (actually, some albums I think sound worse than the digital), but for the experience. And I am willing to pay a premium for that experience.

[@nyquist5190]

But are there enough people like you to keep the vinyl infrastructure alive in the long run?

[@TheMirolab]

I see lots of comments lamenting the high price of vinyl. When adjusted for inflation, LPs actually cost the SAME as when I was a teenager in the '80's. I made $3.50/hr in high school, and a record was $7, so that's 2 hours of minimum wage work. It's the same today..... (2 x 15 = $30). It's actually the price of CDs that has gone DOWN so much. They were $11.99 when I first started buying CDs in 1985. They are still $11.99 today (when on sale) 38 years later!!

[@legrandmaitre7112]

I buy CDs for 50p on a regular basis. I've even bought SACDs for as little as 20p.

[@freddynietzsche4604]

You're right those headlines are just meant to get eyeballs on them and clicks. If they stated CDs are still outselling vinyl there wouldn't be as much interest. I don't think the RIAA end of year report for 2022 has been released yet, but there were a few other U.S. sales reports, which stated CDs were outsold by vinyl in unit numbers also. I find that hard to believe. Those reports were reporting "units shipped" not "units sold", and as far as I'm aware, in the U.S. there is alot more new vinyl clogging up the bins than new CDs, so who knows how much of it actually sold? Also, one of the reports, by Luminate, referenced a poll in which 50% of people in the U.S. who are buying vinyl said they don't even own a record player. So they are just buying their Taylor Swift variant colored vinyl to put up on the wall?

[@bpalpha]

Well, I got a turntable this Christmas and am impressed by the sound. I love both CD and vinyl. I thrift shop usually so I don't pay too much for either. Glad both formats are still around.

[@sayhellotovin]

Too true, I'd noticed that the US media started doing the same claims a few years ago when it was clear that CDs still sold vastly more units than vinyl releases, also a lot of these sales figures don't include independent retailers. Then again the whole thing about counting streams as sales for charts changed the whole industry to the point that music sales metrics are mostly meaningless nowadays so its likely that no-one knows what's really selling. Well done for making the video though, you're probably the first music reporter/influencer with a bigger audience to actually point this out.

[@MH-rl9ep]

As much as I like vinyl, it’s pretty much priced itself out of my budget. So CD’s it is for me.

[@TheMirolab]

When adjusted for inflation, LPs actually cost about the same as when I was a teenager in the '80's. I made $3.50/hr in high school, and a record was $7, so that's 2 hours of minimum wage work. It's the same today..... (2 x 15 = $30).

[@ChrisWhittenMusic]

I’m loving CDs.

[@jimgardner5129]

No vinyl for this lad. The prices are downright rediculous. Plus, I'd always be recording them to digital anyway, for public transportation. And I won't waste my money on streaming. So, CDs it is. And I love 'em!

[@johnristheanswer]

* ridiculous

[@vazquezcelis]

Why would you waste money on public transportation when you can walk?

[@subjekt0345]

​@@vazquezcelis sometimes you just don't feel like walking for 3 hours and another 3 hours back instead of taking public transport and get where you need to be in less than an hour.

[@jimgardner5129]

@@johnristheanswer Haha! Thank you. And I usually try so hard. :)

[@jimgardner5129]

@@vazquezcelis Too far from work to walk. Also, never owned a car and never will. Plus, I live in a subdivision vs the city.

[@heriacosta5452]

I pop a CD into my transport connected via Coax cable to my DAC out to my Integrated Amp, and I get a highly resolving and enjoyable listening experience. Thank you.

[@sefarba]

Vinyl just surpassed CDs by total units sold in the US, I think this is a huge moment.

[@henrygrimmius8138]

That's EXACTLY what bugs me when they talk about movies. Someone will espouse that such and such movie is the highest grossing movie of all time. Um, I'd rather want to know how many tickets were sold. That puts it on a level playing field.

[@jim010109]

The thing that makes CD'S so awesome is ease of use. They play in my car, they play in my DVD player, they play in my game console. Easy to store, take mild scratches better than LP's Honestly I think streaming will win overall. It's actually more convenient than the other two put together .

[@keithwiebe1787]

I think music I hear on youtube sounds better than vinyl. I will only buy cds from here on out. Did get my turntable up out of the basement and hooked up to my main system but honestly can't stand the clicks and pops and my records have had an easy life.

[@jethrotull2142]

One thing I always wanted to ask was do Vinyls sound better than CDs as some of even my older CDs sound fantastic

[@jim010109]

@@jethrotull2142 Honestly I think it's the recording studios getting sloppy. I've heard great vinyl releases and CD'S. And I've heard crappy ones. But that's just me.

[@jethrotull2142]

@@jim010109 You know back in the year 2004 I received my first Bob Seger CD was a greatest hits 2 precisely (2003 released Made In The USA)and that CD BLEW ME AWAY I remember myself being in the UK then and I'll never forget HOW good it sounded especially the track Her Strut everyone needs to get that release

[@mazzysmusic]

Vinyl records are so much more expensive to produce so my guess is the labels still make a bigger profit on CDs despite less revenue from them. The profit margins are probably greater for CDs over vinyl

[@sjmcardle]

My thoughts also!

[@victorsixtythree]

It's the same with movie ticket sale numbers isn't it? You always see numbers about ticket revenue, not number of tickets sold. Never really made sense to me.

[@artemario7116]

I wish a speedy and complete recovery of your eye. Thank you very much for this new and enlightening work on these physical formats of vinyl and CD.

[@TheKizersoze13]

I think with the increase access to vinyl over the last 5 years it can slowly creep and get closer and closer over the next 10 years. With the higher revenues with vinyl it will obviously be pushed more. But for a vinyl lover I can’t complain! I only interact with cds when they are given with the vinyl purchase for car playback. But it seldom use them. The next 3 years will be telling!

[@pervertedalchemist9944]

I hope if nothing else, there will be a full return to physical media.

[@RomiPetrut]

Very good and relevant review! I buy both, vinyl and cd-s but I prefer a good and more cheaper CD.The vinyls are too expensive now!

[@timoleary5815]

I think what this ultimately illustrates is how dumb a lot of people are, as they blindly follow corporate marketing strategy. They don't even realise they're being manipulated, even when you tell them they are and some will actively argue against that. Personally, I can't see how 'best selling' can mean anything other than number of units sold. Good to see you making progress too John, I don't mind if it's you alone making a video, or with Olaf - it's your commentary thats important. So best wishes for a full and speedy recovery.

[@bluecalix]

It is now confirmed. "Recording Industry Association of America’s 2022 year-end report released on Thursday, with consumers buying 41 million vinyl units last year compared to 33 million CDs." - Rolling Stone

[@starbase218]

I owned a turntable, a Technics SL-1200 Mk II, and I got some used records as well. But I sold all of it, because the sound quality just wasn't anywhere near what I was used to. I suppose the sound quality of new vinyl is much better because the grooves aren't filled up with gunk yet. But then, with CDs, you don't have to worry about that. So, CD sounds better, and sounds the same whether it's new or 10 years old. I'm not sure why you'd want a record instead of that. Unless you're a hipster of course. ;) Hope your eye will get better soon. Best wishes.

[@eddiegil6804]

I am the child of a hippy who has went to the original Woodstock and am lucky to have access to a vast vinyl collection. I therefore grew up with music and started collecting digital music when this became possible in the 90s Last year i found Roon and Darko and build my own Touch screen (thanks Darko for that inspiring video) with Roon so i could combine my own collection and streaming services under one roof. All with the thought of giving a tactile feel to digital music. Besides that i have a vinyl player, cd player and a tape deck in use. For me Vinyl is special, it is my youth. it is my dad sitting in his room filled wall to wall with outstanding vinyl records.

[@mornecoetzee735]

Long live CD 💿🎶🎵💯👍👌

[@ingarchris]

:^)

[@JanKenk]

The question is which format allows for more profit for the storekeeper. The one that wins out will get more shelf space and snowball into more sales

[@bauke2903]

For me it’s more about the experience than the actual sound and/or durability. There’s just something magical about going to a vinyl recordstore and finding a record that you love or trying an album that you’ve never heard of. And I just don’t get that same feeling with CD’s. I’m currently 25 years old, so I grew up with CD’s, but I never liked the plastic case and the feeling of the disc itself. Spotify is great for commuting or at work, but vinyl has that special place for me. It’s kinda like an old car tbh. It mag not be the most practical or best performing option, but there’s just something about the craftsmanship and the way you use it that (for me) makes it far more enjoyable than the modern options. I think I own a bit more than 200 records now, which are probably still rookie numbers, but I can’t wait to collect more and learn more about records and hifi in general. That’s my story. Not sure if anyone cares, but whatever, haha. Hope you all have a great day!

[@andygilbert1877]

I don’t think John is knocking vinyl here, he has plenty of that too. I thinks he’s just questioning why the industry are either lying, or can’t do basic maths!

[@bauke2903]

@@andygilbert1877 Not saying he’s mocking vinyl, just sharing my opinion 😉

[@donaldgoerig6171]

CD's are far better for me and what I buy. No vinyl

[@aridembo1693]

Great video. Many talking points can be gleaned from it regarding metrics used, sensationalist journalism, public misinformed by misleading headlines etc. Like I used to tell my students, the lesson here, as always is to be a critical thinker! it is much to easy to become a lemming! Yo nailed the video. Good to have you back John!

[@josexavierjr.5633]

Good, fun video, John. Glad to see you recovering form your surgery. I had a feeling the numbers were purely revenue driven, because I don't think vinyl will ever outsell CDs ever again; especially at current prices for new releases............

[@jethrotull2142]

Yep CDs are always better:FAR more portable durable and can be played indefinitely if kept to higher metrics which the likes of me always do unlike Vinyl or Cassette which get scratched or ripped after a few plays and I got damages to them merely from rewinding I have CDs I brought 20 yes TWENTY YEARS AGO (Forty Licks by the Rolling Stone) a case in point I'd brought the month it was released in the UK October 2002 and it sounds and looks as NEW! My CDs took quite a liking and they're still ticking so you'll never wean me off CDs which are additionally far cheaper and portable compared to Vinyl and actually sound BETTER too! Call me old fashioned but I live by the groove and the CD has 1!

[@legrandmaitre7112]

I have CDs bought FORTY YEARS ago!

[@Robert.Dickson]

Sold all my cd’s years ago after ripping everything and streaming. Regretting it now and thinking of starting from scratch. Am I mad??

[@TheBebe666]

I did the same some 10 years ago. Now i am again on 1000+ pieces. No , you are not mad. You can rip it for your listening on the go but at home CD or Vinyl

[@Tedfinnerty]

No, cds sound amazing

[@DrOz-007]

Second hand CDs are cheap. Go for it!

[@davidmiller1534]

Marketing professionals are going o find a way to present whatever product or service they're selling in the best possible light. Journalists read a lot of this sort of information and do everything from repeat it verbatim to evaluate it and report on it while adding background and context. Thank you, John, for doing the latter.

[@Krell666]

I'm guessing that if vinyl LPs were the same price as CDs the total units sold figures would reverse. Of course vinyl sells less units as they are bloody expensive, generally 2-3x that of CDs.

[@EquatorialVillager]

I think the cost of the media is just one cog in the wheel. CD players are also more accessible, cheaper on average, and less fussy (maintenance, ease of use, etc). Lastly, I think the size (of the media) *does* matter in this case 😈. That aside, great piece, great choice of topic and I think the filming and editing went very well.

[@philipketchum1407]

Vinyl could sell more volume if the quality was more consistent. Unless you buy something like a One Step pressing you have a good chance of it sounding like crap. Not a real problem with CDs.

[@strupp1]

I‘m afraid this will likely continue pushing the trend of albums being released on vinyl only. I love my CDs but started buying vinyl some years ago because often CDs were not even available. But record prices are getting ridiculous lately, so I want to focus on the CDs more again

[@musingsandmusic]

My most popular format is vinyl but I buy far more CDs (from the op shops) as it the cheapest option for me to collect and venture into any style of music! Anyway, thank you for busting the myth (or better: misunderstanding)! your "One-Eye-view" has undoubtedly brought clarity - I hope all goes well!!!!

[@barneyrubble9309]

Whilst I love my vinyl, I only rarely buy new vinyl due to cost and storage issues, but what I DO DO, is buy physical media.

[@alainterieur794]

CDs are great!

[@iamwoteveriwanttobe]

A misleading headline? No, I don't believe it! Long video to make your point but a view I completely agree with. Also this came across as the gentlest rant I've heard in quite some time. 😁

[@MattTerrell]

Everyone bums on CDs, but imo they are the best. Decent size for the artwork and physical storage and they have great sound quality. Vinyl is too expensive and storage is an issue. Streaming; your hands are tied to the service provider, no thanks.

[@tspartz]

I think revenue metrics are equally as important as unit metrics as they reflect how people are spending their money on physical media. Consumers may be buying less vinyl records than CDs but are spending more money on them - that’s interesting.

[@rabit818]

LP is so expensive. CD are less fussy and cheaper. No need for a Linn Sondek for a decent sound.

[@eugeniorenzi7790]

I guess there is another number that I d like to consider and compare in order to understand popularity : total number of records and CD sold for the same album.

[@asrarul12]

Good video. CDs have fallen in price in 2022. I re- built a CD collection in 2021 and 2022. All the best with yoir eyes, John :)

[@bossoli60]

And most of vinyls issued today are digital sources …

[@vinylrulesok8470]

As someone who only listens to vinyl im delighted that sales are strong for LPs but surely if something is classed as best selling surely that means volume not value?

[@ujean56]

Steady on, if the record manufacturers don't clue in soon, there will be a vinyl dump (price drop) and they may increase sales. I've seen it happening in Canada. Brand new vinyl for CND $15.00 - that's about €10.25 .

[@Houdinis-Selection-at-insta]

Hi John, I really don‘t care. It is the moment, that makes me choose, what I want to listen to. The vinyl today is mostly produced digital, so it is just for the eyes not for the ears. Nowadays I use mostly streaming and CD‘s or Vinyl. With a perfect system everything sounds great. Having fun is what counts in the end. Cheers 👋🤠

[@IRON_PANDA]

Not really a comment considering this video's content, but i'd wish for a review about Amphion speakers, especially the likes of Argon 0/1. Thanks for all the content and speedy recovery with the eye!

[@blairholmesproductionsinc.9432]

Yay John! So well done! Perfectly explained! I can see clearly now ! ;-). Thanks, as always, for your terrific videos.

[@legrandmaitre7112]

Hi John - I hope your eye is on the mend. I'm no stranger to vision problems. A fascinating video and something I've been saying for several years - but sadly I don't have a KZbin channel! So this is the first year that the REVENUE from vinyl LPs has finally outstripped that for CDs in the UK - quite simply because they cost more. So after all this time, all the hype, the trendy "cool" aspect etc etc - CDs still sell more units than vinyl LPs. Surprise surprise! Or rather, we should never underestimate the persuasive power of marketing, ANYTHING can be made "cool" if various vested interests want to make it so - I'm actually surprised it's taken this long to be honest. However I do wonder if it's now reached some sort of high point or zenith? You and I are not alone in starting to question the apparent terminal decline of the CD format. One aspect which you haven't commented on, the market for used / secondhand CDs. How I'd love to see the figures for sales of used CDs! I know for certain that I'm one of many characters buying on Ebay and scouting about locally for CDs. If you surf a few HiFi forums, you'll occasionally find less flashy posters quietly swopping notes about the CDs they've just bought for pennies. Truthfully I'm living in paradise at present - at least that seems to be the case here in the UK. The received idea that CDs are no longer needed / wanted / fashionable etc has created a buyer's market. In terms of Ebay, Discogs etc - leaving aside the glut of common pop CDs - it's pretty clear to me that the more interesting music is holding steady price wise, and that rarer items are climbing in price. As I've said before: "it's not about the format, it's about the music".

[@purplehazeffc]

I’ve always thought the same with Movies at the Cinema. They always base it on how much the Movie made. The more it made, the more bigger, better it is. But yet going back 30-40 years, ticket prices were 1/4-1/5 the price. So if a movie made 100 million in 1982 & a movie made 100 million in 2022. 4-5 times more ppl brought tickets to see that movie in 1982 compared to 2022.

[@johnristheanswer]

" brought " ? Where did they bring them from ?

[@RJ_Chicago]

I agree with your analysis and conclusion that in fact CDs are the best selling physical format. There are a number of reasons for that IMO. 1. The ease of setting up a playback rig for CDs as opposed to a turntable and cartridge. 2. CDs can be portable. 3. Controversy over vinyl being mastered by digital sources and not being truly analog. 4. Overly high prices of vinyl as compared to CDs. 5. For those with limited space storage of CDs requires less space than vinyl for the same number of albums. I am not saying that vinyl is a bad media. They have senitimental value to listeners of my generation. The allow you to interact more with the album in a ritualistic way when playing a record. But in spite of that and per the above, these are my thoughts on why CDs sell more units than vinyl.

[@waltergist8923]

I enjoyed the video. As one commenter pointed out the issue not mentioned in the news and trade articles is profit margin. The commenter cites CD: 4-7%, Vinyl, ~40%. Don't know if that's true but if you've bought both formats over the years it certainly feels right, doesn't doesn't.

[@josipamiocic103]

As a consumer I don't care about the numbers but I understand the point. I would add that production of vinyl is much more expensive thus profit is still on the downside. I buy CDs.

[@lsaideOK]

Don't forget the difference in the cost of shipping. I would think vinyl is more profitable for the companies but don't forget that there is a considerable added cost involved in making and distributing vinyl. It's like the difference between the cost of oranges in fresh squeezed orange juice versus the cost of lemonade powder in lemonade.

[@shadouk6737]

Adore vinyl but I've recently found myself purchasing more CDs due to the extortionate price of new vinyl. If I'm skipping vinyl releases in favour of CDs which represent better value for money then I've a feeling that many others will be doing the same. Troubling times ahead for the vinyl revival?

[@jimfarrell4635]

See, John, you are still a serious journo at heart. I agree with everything you say and it's a good example of the media being significantly misleading without actually telling any falsehoods. This is something you see all the time in science and medical pieces, and while in this case it was benign, it can lead to serious consequences. Glad your eye is doing great and I really enjoy these uncomplicated discussion pieces. Happy to see more. Incidentally, your plight reminds me of the most confusing referral letter from a GP I got as a junior A&E doc. It said: "Dear colleague, please see this patient who can't." Caused great confusion till the patient was assessed and found to have sudden loss of sight in one eye.

[@vintagevinylvets1187]

This was a great video, thank you. We’d be curious on what the profit margin is on vinyl!🎧

[@ericdere]

Why would I buy a more expensive and more fragile product if a cheaper and more durable alternative is available?

[@tadeus7258]

For the big cover art ofc :D

[@stanleyomar]

I wonder what percentage of records were released in both formats. I've seen many artists in the past offer vinyl as something niche for those who want it, knowing that the album was also available through all streaming services for the general public.

[@enadegheeghaghe6369]

So that you can be a snob and talk down to people who don't buy or listen to vinyl? LOL

[@maxhirsch7035]

@@enadegheeghaghe6369 I've been buying vinyl since before cds existed. Guess that makes me a snob possessing great clairvoyance. Or maybe you've just made a gross over-generalization. BTW, vinyl still often sounds better than cds, and I wish it weren't so, because I buy both, and if cds reliably sounded better than vinyl, I'd give up all my lps tomorrow (except for a handful with really cool cover art, just to look at 'em from time to time).

[@marcus1970]

Units sold= consumer popularity. Revenue=money taken. Depends on where the information is being directed (business insider or end customer) as to which is of more use... and then profit margin is another factor that may interest both... Bottom line money made and value for money.... Perspective is literally different depending where you stand! Glad your eye is recovering John 👍🏻

[@MrQcomber]

I'd be interested to see how second-hand sales factor in. It's fair to say the second-hand market for vinyl records is probably very large, perhaps more so than CDs in terms of units and revenue (just a guess).

[@whatevahz531]

What about Blu-ray Audio, SACD & DVD Audio!? Multichannel HI-Res is the comeback kid! 😆

[@BandrewScott]

I was buying Vinyl until I had to move and realized how cumbersome they are. Have gone back to CD for the last 6 years because it’s easier to store, move, and make a copy of for playback on an DAP.

[@joz411no8]

Nice video. Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't CD and vinyl LP prices closer to one another in the early 90s? Vinyl has gotten incrementally more expensive over the years. I can still buy new CDs for $15 and that was about what I paid for vinyl back then. No such thing as a new vinyl LP at $15 today.

[@pervertedalchemist9944]

I remember when vinyl was affordable until the popularity revival in 2006. Back in 2005, I bought Nine Inch Nails' "With Teeth" for fifteen dollars - as well as many other records within that time frame. Things changed the following year.

[@joz411no8]

@@pervertedalchemist9944 I think 2 major things are at play in higher prices for vinyl today. First is popularly. If they can get $30 for a vinyl LP, they’re going to sell it. Also, there are a fraction of the pressing plants today, of what existed 35 years ago. I just wish they’d get back to the quality of the pressings we once had. The rush to get things out to the consumer kill problem-free vinyl. I’ve gotten new vinyl that’s noisy, scratched, warped, blistered - you name it. If I weren’t buying any and not contributing to the problem, haha, I might express my disgust.

[@andygilbert1877]

When CDs came out in the UK (1983?) they were around the £10 mark. That’s still about what a new release costs today over here, maybe a little more. Vinyl is typically £20-30.

[@peterbriggs2771]

I am totally in agreement. I will also state that I still prefer CDs over streaming...Albums well that brings shivers. When I had a Rega 3 with the RB200 arm...I returned 10 times Roxy Music Country Life Album, the poor pressing in the late 70s. Great feature, no quality issues due to your recent experience eye issues. Carry on the great hifi/music entertainment 👍😎🎼

[@knotslip8862]

Those numbers account for new but a lot of vinyl lovers are purchasing used LPs on sites like Discogs. Vinyl is getting more and more popular and here in the states it is probably as or more popular than CDs at this point. Obviously, streaming is king right now.,

[@sound-flies]

Cassette and CD rock:) Vinyl is now for the elite. I just can not afford Vinyl but CD I can find for 2 dollars at local shops .

[@attrktmarketing4582]

Nice video John. Glad that your eye is healing nicely. Thank you. So…with some rudimentary calculations for the U.K. numbers: the average unit cost for Vinyl would be £27.36 vs £10.69 for CD. Which makes Vinyl roughly 2.56X more expensive than CDs. My question to your community is: is Vinyl 2.56X more enjoyable than CDs? 😊 I buy both and I have my own opinion, but I’d love to hear how other peoples’ thoughts? Thanks Mike

[@warrengday]

I still buy vinyl for my Linn LP12. If I can't I buy the CD and play on my Linn Klimax DS, newly upgraded to Organik DAC, all CDs now sound more natural than ever before, one of those "I'm relistening to ALL of my collection" upgrades.

[@johantheron4282]

Yes, you have confirmed the fact that better DAC’s do make CD’s sound better!

[@davetester100]

I’m old enough to remember Barney Rubble telling Fred Flintstone that “these new fangled wheel things would never take off”

[@60zeller]

Yeah, and there playback method was pushing a poor little birds beak down on the record grove

[@davidchingching167]

Thanks for that, as I suspected. Perhaps we can have some more CD player reviews?

[@Magoo71]

I gave up vinyl 20+ years ago....and I don't care if they are selling millions/day....digital, with the proper equipment, can out perform vinyl in sound quality and convenience...with warps, dirt and simply the time to play, vinyl is so last century... it's only popular today by teenagers who find it a novelty....

[@stephenbailey9969]

The Lp's I used to buy for $3.99 are now selling for $30+. I use cd's and streaming. Save the difference for a good bottle of scotch.

[@jeremyking5860]

You make a valid point; however, if the price of vinyl were to drop, it would suggest that vinyl sales would increase by volume as well over CD’s. Therefore, the headlines are making the right call - albeit you have to read between the lines a bit.

[@MikeFL52]

I'd actually like to see the year over year trending for all the various media types for music, but I am not suggesting that I am expecting you to do this. I was just curious and if I have sufficient interest I might do it.

[@bluecalix]

I agree 100% with your premise, and think reporters (?) should be more careful with their headlines(tho in many cases the headlines are not actually written by them). However, the total $$ figure is not to be sneered at. Most consumers have a certain amount of money to spend on entertainment that they are comfortable with, they don't decide to buy X number of albums/CDs regardless of cost. Vinyl record sales getting a bigger slice of that consumer spend pie, regardless of units shifted, is also an indication of popularity. And likely one that has more impact on the current industry.

[@SheetzChills]

Sometimes I like to own it on vinyl and CD.

[@Another_Audiophile]

Well, the point is what is the net profit per unit sold. Knowing the cost for production then we can say that vinyl outperforms cd in gross income, cd outperforms vinyl in terms of units sold but most importantly CDs outperform vinyl in net profit.

[@knockshinnoch1950]

A terrific video. This is a perfect example of how statistics can be manipulated to suit a specific point of view. The vinyl community pounced on the press release as further proof that their long held dream of a true mainstream vinyl revolution and market domination was indeed coming true. Your analysis proves otherwise.Polls are constantly citing % rises and falls on any number of topics without presenting a wider perspective on just what the metrics are- for example "muggins are up 100% on 2022 while traffic offences have fallen by 25%. It's a totally meaningless statement without further data that helps make sense of the information. Another trick is to confuse the matter by mixing up the unit of measurement- 25% of women polled do not feel safe reporting a sexual assault to the Met Police but 1 in 5 say they are. Our daily news reports in the press and on TV are full of this BS all day everyday. As the saying goes- there are lies, damn lies and statistics.

[@Universityofvinyl]

As you may suspect, I’ve been all in on vinyl as my main format since 2017. 👍🏻

[@jimfarrell4635]

What were you before? Junior college of mp3s ? Primary school of CD ? Kindergarten of cassette ? Actually that last one rolls off the tongue.

[@premjaicorr4956]

This is the case with most media all parroting the same press release, even when wrong.

[@bcswalkman]

In music, success is measure by units shifted which is probably correct. But in movies, success is measured by gross revenue, not 'bums on seats'. The later can be obsured by 3D ticket sales and inflation over time

[@undyingforce]

I prefer movie ticket “actual sales” be reported. Would be more accurate and interesting.

[@ptg01]

Classic challenge especially in consumer centric industries like automotive.. What is the best selling car ?? Is it based on $$$ volume or based upon number of units sold.. Each metric make a legitimate point of what is "best selling"....

[@Diatonic5th]

I collect CDs and LPs equally. For me the take away from this video is that physical media sales are strong, which is great news! Streaming is the inevitable vulgar commodification of music.

[@pervertedalchemist9944]

And also, factor in the issue of any album can be altered or removed on streaming sites without warning.

[@erwindewit4073]

Vinyl is cool, but a guess. I just bought a CD, cassette and vinyl in the US from the same artist. It was quite expensive, but the vinyl was okay, de sleeves were horrible and VERY cheap. Same with the cassette. Cheapest type I and single sides colourprint. But the CD? That was perfectly fine. Oh, and no download codes despite Bandcamp (grr). Richard Houghtens vinyl was about as expensive, but VERY nice inner and outer sleeves, holograms and cool colours, and a FABULOUSLY good pressing. Same country, same price, vastly different experiences. But CDs? They’re always good..

[@zardoz2627]

Last vinyl I bought was in 1984. Never will go back. Still buy an occasional cd. I try to only buy on Bandcamp now for .flac files and they pay the bands the most % as far as I know.

[@FrightfulMess]

EXACTLY! The $38 vinyl disk robs OTHER artists of sales......when I restrict my purchases to $26 disks (and yes, there are STILL disks available for these lower prices), I end up supporting more artists and add value to MY collection. I have all the CD's I need, as I bought those CD's back in the day when they replaced my old vinyl copies. I now prefer the sound of vinyl, especially over streaming, which sounds rather harsh to me despite it supposedly being "Hi-Rez". So yes, I guess purchasing CD's would support even MORE artists, but I have found my happy medium again and I hope that artists are demanding a bigger cut of these stupid high prices we are seeing now.

[@Gez492]

Have you considered it maybe the streaming platforms that are actually robbing artists with their ridiculous payment for play rates. Many "indie" artist cannot afford to upload their music to stream it anyway and not all vinyl is expensive.

[@alejandrobusquets6214]

Thank you, transparency and precision, which I really appreciate...