Music retailer HMV has revealed that they sold one vinyl player every minute in the week running up to Christmas.
As reported by The Scotsman, the company also predicted vinyl sales of around two million in 2016 as the ‘vinyl revival’ continues.
Ian Topping, Chief Executive of HMV, said: “Entertainment products form a major part of the Christmas shopping list. The gift of the year in 2015, though, has to be a turntable as we have seen a huge resurgence in the sales of vinyl.”
Gennaro Castaldo, spokesman for industry body the BPI, stated, “Having faced near-extinction in 2007, when only 205,000 LPs were sold, it’s likely we’ll see the best part of two million copies purchased this year.”
He continued: “While some fans are buying vinyl simply to own and collect it, many, naturally, want to be able to enjoy its warm, authentic sound, but unfortunately no longer have access to turntables. So it’s no surprise if retailers are reporting a surge in demand for record players as one of the ‘must-have’ Christmas gifts this year.”
Online retailer Amazon confirmed this theory, publishing the news that their best-selling audio product over the festive season was the Jensen three-speed turntable.
The news is the latest in a string of statistics showing the resurgence in popularity of the format.
In November, vinyl sales in America reached a 26-year high, while Tesco became the first high street supermarket to stock vinyl last September.
High sales of modern records including Arctic Monkeys’ ‘AM’ and Radiohead’s ‘The King Of Limbs’, alongside classics such as Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ have been credited with helping the increase, with all three ranking in the top selling vinyl of the decade so far.