Nostalgia comes in all forms during the holidays, particularly vinyl. Turns out music fans still want a physical product to hold onto, and vinyl and CD box sets are a sure bet this season.
Take your pick from Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, The Decemberists, Plastikman and The Pixies (whose massive Minotaur scored a Grammy nomination for best packaging design). Labels released big box sets to celebrate anniversaries, including Matador at 21 (Pavement, Mogwai, Dizzee Rascal, Cornelius) and Ninja Tune’s XX (Roots Manuva, Daedelus, Poirier, Spank Rock).
Even in physical format, the classics never go out of style. For a hefty price, you can grab box sets from Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson, Tom Zé and the Apple Records Box Set ($336.98? C’mon!) featuring James Taylor, Badfinger and, you know, The Beatles.
And the numbers prove that people want the goods year round. Nielsen Entertainment reports vinyl sales are steadily increasing. Last year in the U.S. alone, 2.5 million vinyl albums were sold, up from 1.88 million in 2008, Computer World reports. Newer figures reveal sales may be plateauing, but according to the bands and musicians we’ve interviewed, tangible music isn’t going anywhere just yet.
TOPICS: Trendspotting