Vinyl sales in 2017

Yet another weeks late posting ... but one could spend a lot longer than that digging through these amazing statistics.

According to this article in Billboard, vinyl sales have been rising for twelve straight years.   Data from the RIAA's website shows that downloads never gained in sales over twelve straight years.  Since 1973, CDs once had a thirteen year run of rising sales (sixteen straight years in revenue), and cassettes once gained in fifteen straight years (seventeen straight years in revenue).  Vinyl in the peak classic rock era in the 70s never gained for more than six straight years, revenue-wise.  Point being, twelve years of gains is a lot more than a fad. 

But that was only the third most mindblowing stat in the article!  The second most is this: vinyl accounted for 14% of all physical album sales in 2017.  That hasn't happened since 1988.  Since vinyl's early 90's nadir, sales numbers have increased tenfold, but total revenue has increased by a factor of forty!  That points to vinyl being a niche product like never before in its history, with a fiercely loyal minority group of fans willing to spend increasingly more money for a premium format.

The most amazing stat was that top ten sales list.  Where to begin ... The Beatles with the top TWO sellers ... Guardians of the Galaxy mixtape of 60's and 70's rock at #3 (proving that the success of The Beatles "1" at the height of Napster was the rule, not the exception -- people will pay for music if it's packaged and marketed right even if the songs are available in a million other places) ... Ed Sheeran with the only contemporary (i.e. 2017) entry in the top ten ... "Thriller" continues to steadily sell after 35 years ...

Avraham Tal, Petah Tikva Cultural Hall

The closest equivalent to Avraham Tal in American music might be Gwen Stefani.  Both had successful careers as singers in underground rock bands whose style wouldn't necessarily have been earmarked for mainstream success based on the chart standards of the time.  But they did break through in a huge way and could have cruised indefinitely, their reputations secure thanks to two albums worth of megahits.    Before that could happen, their bands broke up and they launched their solo careers, going full-fledged pop. 

Both are charismatic but not in a larger than life way that transcends the many genres they've worked in as solo artists.  Both have even been coaches on their respective countries' versions of "The Voice".  However, Stefani doesn't have "the voice" that Avraham Tal has.  Not even close.   He boasts a high end that would strain the vocal cords of almost any male pop star anywhere in the world.  And as I discovered during his concert, he can sustain that style of singing throughout a ninety minute concert and make it seem effortless. 

Avraham Tal is too talented for his songs, which is a nice problem to have as far as biggest flaws go.  He's not a top tier songwriter but has had a knack for knowing what the public wants and with whom to collaborate at the right times.  During his show I was hoping for more slower songs that allow him to showcase that voice -- the most intimiate portion was his duet with his former "The Voice" protege Nitzan Shayer.  But it's hard to complain about the string of uptempo hits that we actually got.

Bibio, "Phantom Brickworks"

This is my favourite album of 2018 so far ... or rather, the best album of 2017 that I've only just discovered now.  It's more or less a tribute album to classic 90's ambient records, assembled in some mutant chill ambient laboratory of discarded drones and piano loops by Bibio's heroes.  All the best stuff is cannibalized here, most notably Aphex's "Selected Ambient Works II".  William Basinski's fingerprints are all over this album too, with the way that gentle sounds seem to endlessly loop and slowly drift about.  The coldness of SAW II is also balanced by an overwhelming peacefulness that spreads throughout the entire album, reminiscent of Global Communication's "76:14".  And I detect a whiff of Seefeel's queasy near-masterpiece "Succour" too (at least the quieter bits).