New data released from Nielsen shows that vinyl record sales are continuing to climb. In fact, vinyl sales made up for 14 percent of all physical album sales in 2017, up from 11 percent in 2016. The Beatles' 1967 opus Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was 2017's top-selling vinyl LP.
Overall, 8.5 percent of all albums sold in 2017 were vinyl records—a noticeable jump from its 6.5 percent share in 2016. Experts attribute the growing reemergence of this vintage music medium to big box retail promotion from the likes of Amazon, Urban Outfitters and Barnes and Noble.
In terms of content, rock continues to hold the lion's share of vinyl interest. The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road were last year's two top-selling vinyls, pushing a combined 138,000 vinyl copies. The top 10 best-selling vinyls of 2017 also include Ed Sheeran's Divide, Prince and the Revolution's Purple Rain, the late Amy Winehouse's Back To Black, and Bob Marley and the Wailers, Legend: The Best Of…
