Last year, Belgians bought around 150,000 vinyls, for a total of 3.19 million euros. This is three times more than 2010 (46.971 sold), according to figures from the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA). The figures were published on Tuesday. The vinyl market in Belgium remains limited compared to Great Britain, where vinyl sales have gone up and up over the last few years. “Today, the big chain stores are selling vinyl again, which was unthinkable a few years ago. Vinyl was only sold in specialised shops”, explains Olivier Maeterlinck, General Director of the BEA.
Between 2010 and 2014, the turnover generated by vinyl has more than quadrupled, going from 773,525 to 3.19 million euros. “The average price of vinyl has gone up over the years, as the amount of vinyl on offer has gone up. Artists are once again releasing their albums on vinyl, and releasing different versions”, he said.
Last year, the vinyl album “Racine Carré” by Stromae was the best-seller, with around 1,000 copies being snapped up. “But that remains low if we compare it to CD or online sales, which reached more than 100,000 copies”, says Olivier Maeterlinck.
In Great Britain, the Official Charts Company announced the launch of two weekly vinyl sales charts, which have grown over the last few years. This concept has not yet reached Belgium, according to Sam Jaspers from Ultratop, who manages and publishes the official hit parades in Belgium. “The Walloon and Flemish markets are too different. There would need to be two charts, but the respective markets are so limited that it wouldn’t be possible”, he said.
(Source: Belga)
