Australians Are Now Spending More On Vinyl Than CDs

Vinyl sales in Australia have finally surpassed that of CDs, following a steady increase in recent years.

With CD sales dropping in conjunction with the rise of vinyl figures, the two switched places last year, with vinyl accounting for the biggest segment in physical sales in Australia at $29.7 million, compared to $24.9 million for CD albums, according to figures released today by ARIA.

In 2020, CD album sales were at $30.5 million, slightly higher than vinyl at $29.3 million.

Going back to 2015, the difference between the two was huge: CDs at $77.7 million and vinyl at $18.8 million.

“The vinyl market is an increasingly important player as our market evolves, affording music fans across generations the opportunity to add classics to their collection, but also for fans of new music to have a greater sense of connection and ownership toward recordings they love,” ARIA Chief Executive Officer Annabelle Herd said.

"It is an important sector for independent artists, DJs and emerging subcultures that deserves serious recognition.”

Overall, the 2021 figures reveal the Australian recorded music industry hit a 15-year high last year, with wholesale sales posting a third consecutive year of growth and reaching their highest level since 2006.

Racking up $565.8 million last year, the industry was up 4.4% from $542 million in 2020 and up 20.7% from $468.7 million in 2017.

Of that total figure, digital sales made up $509.7 million (90% of all sales), while physical was only $56.1 million.

As ARIA notes, a decade ago, digital accounted for less than 40% of music sales in Australia.

Since 2017, physical music sales have dropped from $100.5 million to $56.1 million.

“It is fantastic to see continued growth in the Australian recording industry, which remains a top 10 market globally,” Herd said. 

“This speaks to the growing value of the sector as a serious economic contributor, but also underscores the fact that music continues to be part of the fabric of Australian lives.

 “Continued, solid growth in digital figures year on year is exciting, even as Australians turned to digital music much earlier than many of our global counterparts. 

“I hope this news spurs on our brilliant home-grown artists as they move toward a more regular year of touring and reconnecting with fans across the country.”

Head to the ARIA website for the full report.