12 Years of Album Sales: 2011 Year-End Soundscan Data
The big news is that total albums sales actually went up a little for the first time since 2004. Of course, considering the fact that physical CD sales slid another 6% and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way sold a million copies for 99 cents, you can be sure that total album revenue is still way, way down this year.
But hey, folks bought 3.9 million vinyl albums in 2011! And check this out: “67% of all vinyl albums sold in 2011 were purchased at an independent music store and nearly 3 out of every 4 vinyl LPs bought were a rock album.” So: hooray for our side!
Total Album Sales (physical + digital albums)
2011: 330.57 million
2010: 326.15 million
2009: 373.9 million
2008: 428.4 million
2007: 500.5 million
2006: 542.4 million
2005: 618.9 million
2004: 667 million
2003: 687 million
2002: 681 million
2001: 763 million
2000: 785 million
1999: 754.8 million
1998: 711 million
1997: 651.8 million
1996: 616.6 million
Compact Discs
2011: 223.5 million
2010: 239.9 million
2009: 294.9 million
2008: 360.6 million
2007: 449.2 million
2006: 553.4 million
2005: 598.9 million
2004: 651.1 million
2003: 635.8 million
2002: 649.5 million
2001: 712.0 million
2000: 730.0 million
1999: 648.1 million
1998: ~578 million
1997: 504.6 million
1996: 448.4 million
Track equivalent albums (where 10 track downloads equal one album)
2011: 457.7 million
2010: 443.4 million
2009: 489.8 million
2008: 535.4 million
2007: 585 million
2006: 646.3 million
2005: 654.1 million
2004: 680.7 million
Digital Albums
2011: 103.1 million
2010: 86.3 million
2009: 76.4 million
2008: 65.8 million
2007: 50 million
2006: 16.2 million
2005: 5.5 million
Vinyl albums
2011: 3.9 million
2010: 2.8 million
2009: 2.5 million
2008: 1.88 million
2007: 990,000
2006: 858,000
…
2000: 1.5 million
Cassette albums
2009: 34,000
…
2007: 274,000
…
2004: 8.6 million
…
2002: 29.8 million
2001: 49.4 million
2000: 77.2 million
1999: 105.5 million
1998: ~130.8 million
1997: 146 million
1996: 166.7 million
Digital tracks
2011: 1.27 billion
2010: 1.17 billion
2009: 1.16 billion
2008: 1.07 billion
2007: 844.1 million
2006: 582 million
2005: 353 million
2004: 141 million
2003: 19.2 million (SoundScan monitored them only during the year’s second half)
Current vs. Catalog
1999: 66.4% vs 33.6
1998: 64% vs 36%
1997: 59.9% vs 40.1%
Sources: Billboard, Billboard, Billboard, Billboard, Billboard, USA Today, Computer World, New York Times, Hollywood Reporter, CTV, BBC, WSJ, Billboard, Billboard, Billboard, Billboard, Billboard, Billboard, Pitchfork.
Derek Phillips
133 days ago
Vinyl way up. Nice.
Jake Brown
133 days ago
Still a drop in the bucket, but still. Every drop counts, I guess.
Derek Phillips
133 days ago
Interesting to see digital albums up too (vs. track equivalent albums).
Greenwood The Sock Monkey
130 days ago
I got back into vinyl this year, so I guess I’m part of the bump in LP sales (picking up my all-time favourites on vinyl, plus a few new releases). From this point forward, I’ll probably look for new releases on vinyl first, CD second, as long as the plastic version comes with a download code.
Not sure how it’s only 2/3 of vinyl being sold at indie record shops. Around here I haven’t seen a chain store sell LPs since the mid-80s. Best Buy and Wallymart don’t sell vinyl (hell, they don’t even have indie rock CDs), and I thought Tower et al were kaput. Who’s selling the other 1/3 of vinyl – Amazon? Mail-order from Amoeba?
100% of my vinyl comes from indie shops, but basically I have no other choice. Prices are a little steep, but it’s made music collecting fun again.