Vinyl records, left for dead when music fans switched to newer formats, are enjoying a revival in Britain as rock fans dust off their turntables.

At the same time, next-generation digital music downloads are soaring, up more than seven-fold to 5.5 million in the three month period ended in June -- a boon to the industry as it tries to fight off online piracy by offering legal alternatives.

Seven-inch vinyl sales rose 87 percent to 288,780 in the same period compared with a year ago, according to data released by the British Phonographic Institute Monday, driven by a special edition reissue of Iron Maiden's "Number of the Beast."

New bands like Babyshambles, Kaiser Chiefs and Franz Ferdinand are also rocking the top of the vinyl sales chart.

While vinyl was long ago eclipsed by the compact disc in terms of sales, some audiophiles and DJs still prefer the format's warm analog sound.

Album sales across all formats fell 1.7 percent to 31.7 million in the three months to the end of June. With big releases from Coldplay, Gorillaz and Oasis, artist albums were up 2.2 percent, while compilations plunged 14.2 percent.

The top-selling album for the period was Coldplay's "X&Y" and the top-selling single was the crossover ringtone "Axel F" by Crazy Frog.

Source


Harry Potter Thread
if ur bored on the boards, get posting THERE!