Album sales in the U.S. suffer worst week in 60 years

In the week ending March 19, overall album sales in the U.S. fell 29% to 1.52 million albums - the lowest such number since albums became a format in the mid-1960s, Billboard reports. The purchase of physical media (CDs, vinyl LPs and cassettes, etc.) also hit a low, as last week marked the first time ever that physical album sales fell below 1 million (just 979,000 copies sold, a dip of 36% to the week prior), the first time weekly physical album sales fell below 1 million in the Nielsen Music/MRC Data era. The lackluster sales numbers can be attributed to the shuttering of physical record stores across the country in addition to Amazon’s decision to cease stocking vinyl in favor of more “essential” items. Still, vinyl is the bright star of album sales - so far in 2020, total vinyl album sales stand at 4.88 million (up 42.2% year-to-date). Further, vinyl album sales comprise 22.6% of all albums sold in 2020, and 33% of all physical albums sold.