All articles tagged with #vinyl
Record Store Day has released its 2026 Black Friday lineup, featuring over 150 exclusive titles for independent stores on November 27. The slate includes new vinyl debuts from KATSEYE and Noah Kahan, archival live performances from Bruce Springsteen and Prince, and unique formats like 3D zoetropes from King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard.
Record Store Day has released its 2026 Black Friday lineup, featuring approximately 185 exclusive titles available at independent retailers on November 27. The selection includes new vinyl debuts from pop stars like Noah Kahan and KATSEYE, alongside archival live performances from legends such as Bruce Springsteen and Prince. While the event emphasizes physical media, it also includes a growing number of CD releases. Key highlights include limited-quantity pressings of soundtracks for 'Wicked' and 'KPop Demon Hunters,' as well as rare jazz and rock collections.
RIAA reports first-half 2026 CD sales surged to 17.5 million (up 45.7% from 2025) with $171.1 million in revenue; Luminate also notes 16.3 million CD units sold in H1 2026, driven in part by special editions from K-Pop acts and Gen Z/millennials collecting CDs, with about half of buyers owning a CD player. Vinyl sales rose ~21% to 26.5 million, and other physical formats jumped 73% to 1.6 million, while streaming revenue grew 4.7% to $4.9 billion, underscoring that streaming remains dominant even as physical media rebounds.
A Rolling Stone piece notes a 16% rise in CD sales in the first half of 2026 (about 16.3 million units in the U.S.), outpacing vinyl's 2.4% growth and driven by Gen Z and millennial fans, with Korean pop like BTS’ Arirang bolstering demand. The trend reflects a desire for tactile, private, high-fidelity listening and nostalgia for the 90s-era era, as many young listeners focus on older music; vinyl’s slower production and higher cost for new releases also help CDs gain traction for deep listening and an untracked listening experience.
US CD revenue jumped 58.6% in the first half of 2026 to $171 million, the fastest growth among physical formats, while vinyl rose to $554 million (+17.7%); overall physical music revenue climbed 25.9% as streaming dominated a $6 billion market (about $4.9 billion in streaming and 111.1 million paid subscriptions). Luminate also reported CD unit sales up about 16% to 16.3 million, with CD growth persisting even without counting K-pop releases.
Guardian’s Film & Music section will publish a reader interview with Amy Lee of Evanescence. The piece notes the band’s 23-year arc, the June release of Sanctuary (which Lee says addresses political turmoil) and a September vinyl release, plus a future UK tour. Readers are invited to post questions by 10am BST on 17 August, covering topics from the band’s 90s origins and their fusion of classical music with metal to MTV fame, past label influence, and Evanescence’s successors in a male‑dominated rock scene.
Fans and collectors balk at pricey new vinyl releases from Charli XCX, Olivia Rodrigo, The Weeknd, Beyoncé, and Raye that ship with unfinished tracks or altered final mixes, a consequence of longer vinyl production timelines; some artists acknowledge the issues and suggest clearer pre-order notes or later complete editions, underscoring the tension between physical-press realities and digital perfection.
Sony drew criticism after promoting a vinyl turntable, with gamers arguing the move hypocritically contrasts its plan to wind down PS5 disc production by 2028. Sony maintains that physical PS5 discs will remain for older releases and notes vinyl demand has grown independently, but fans say the demand for physical game media will persist. Some insiders see a potential compromise for collectors, while the incident highlights tensions between digital, disc, and analog formats across entertainment.
Gear Patrol’s weekly roundup highlights eight notable new gear launches across hi-fi and home theater, including Marantz’s CD 70 entry-level CD player, Marshall’s Billie Joe Armstrong signature 1959BJA amp head, Tiny Vinyl’s all-in-one four-inch record player, McIntosh MX124 flagship AV processor, Skullcandy’s Crusher 1080 ANC wireless headphones with Bose tech, Satechi’s MacBook Neo accessories, We Are Rewind’s Pink Floyd Edition WE-001 Walkman, and Sony’s IER-M500 entry-level wired in-ear monitors.
Fluance launches the RT87, its most ambitious audiophile-grade turntable yet—a belt-drive, dual-plinth Reference Series model with a nine-inch carbon-fiber tonearm, adjustable VTA, high-mass acrylic platter, and a choice of Audio-Technica AT-VM95ML or Ortofon 2M Blue cartridges, no built-in phono preamp, 33⅓/45/78 RPM, three finishes, and an $800 price tag.
Taylor Swift released a limited 10-inch picture disc vinyl for Toy Story 5’s original song 'I Knew It, I Knew You', available for 24 hours or until supplies run out. Side A carries the track and Side B its instrumental; the cover art features Jessie’s hat and the Toy Story 5 logo, tying the release to Disney ahead of the film’s June 19, 2026 premiere.
Charli XCX releases a cheeky pop-punk B-side titled Playboy Bunny to accompany her upcoming SS26. She describes the track as sonically opposite to SS26 and notes the B-sides are paired with songs ahead of the album. Playboy Bunny will only be available on her dedicated Instagram b.sides account and on a limited-edition 7” vinyl, with no streaming release planned.
Noah Kahan earns his first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 as The Great Divide debuts atop with 389,000 equivalent album units in the week ending April 30, led by 212,000 streaming units, 175,000 in album sales and 118,000 vinyl copies; the rock-heavy set marks Kahan’s biggest first week and the largest streaming week for 2026 to date, plus the biggest rock vinyl week in the modern era. Kehlani debuts at No. 4, and Michael Jackson’s Thriller re-enters the top 10 at No. 7 following the release of the Michael biopic, as Billboard’s chart is calculated by Luminate.
Record Store Day 2026 features hundreds of limited-edition vinyl releases (around 350–355 titles) across genres, with marquee drops from Taylor Swift and Pink Floyd and other major artists like Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Brandi Carlile, Laufey, and Neil Young. The piece spotlights a sampling of exclusives—Swift’s violet 7" single, Pink Floyd’s live Los Angeles 1975 set, Springsteen’s Live From Asbury Park 2024 (5LPs or 2CDs), Laufey’s Madison Square Garden performance, and jazz/ archival titles from Ahmad Jamal, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, and more—while noting the post-tax-day rush to indie shops and the ongoing push to keep vinyl culture thriving.
Vinyl fans across the South East queued for exclusive Record Store Day drops as more than 300 UK and Ireland shops took part, with store owners saying the event is crucial for the industry and helps bring people back to high streets amid online shopping, while popular artists like Taylor Swift drive demand for limited titles.