Physical record sales are out-selling digital downloads once more

From vinyl to mp3, and back again.

Physical album sales of vinyl and CDs out-stripped digital downloads in the USA in 2017, according to the latest end of year report published by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

With streaming now commanding 65% of the US market, physical album sales snuck into second place with 17%, generating $1.5 billion for the industry, ahead of digital downloads on 15% ($1.3 billion).

However, break down the physical sales and you get a more complete picture, which sees CD sales drop 6%, and vinyl sales climb 10%, representing $395 million in sales. Or as RIAA call it, “vinyl continues to be a bright spot among physical formats”.

You can read RIAA’s full 2017 report here.