After an extraordinary 2020 when against all the odds independent record stores shrugged off coronavirus to deliver strong results, they are at it again. And once more it’s vinyl that’s helping them do it.
In a great week for vinyl – sales up an incredible 45% on the same week last year – independents account for more than half of sales on four of the Top 10.
It appears that in a strong week for new releases – the top four sellers were all released last week – music fans turned to indies to get their vinyl fix.
Indies scored their best result with Goat Girl’s On All Fours, where they accounted for an astonishing 74.6% of sales, but they also generated 65.9% of sales of Collapsed In Sunbeams by Arlo Parks.
Amid a pandemic with lockdown still tight, you might expect indies to be suffering losses to bigger, better-funded competitors.
Instead it seems like they’re on a bit of a roll.
