Topline
Tyler, The Creator’s 2021 album Call Me If You Get Lost topped this week’s Billboard 200 chart, an achievement that was fueled by record-breaking vinyl record sales after the album became available to purchase physically earlier this month.
Tyler, the Creator performs on the Twin Peaks Stage during day 1 of the 2021 Outside Lands Music ... [+]
Key Facts
Call Me If You Get Lost, which was released in June of last year, sold 49,500 vinyl LPs last week.
It’s the largest sales week for a hip-hop album on vinyl since data became available in 1991, according to Billboard.
It’s also the largest vinyl sales week for an album by a solo male artist since 1991.
The vinyls are only sold on Tyler’s website, Billboard noted, and are not available through any major retailers.
On last week’s Billboard 200, which tracks the commercial success of albums, Call Me If You Get Lost ranked 120th.
Big Number
114,000. That’s how many vinyl LPs were sold during the biggest vinyl sales week ever, in November 2021 when Taylor Swift released Red (Taylor’s Version), according to Billboard.
Key Background
Vinyl record sales have been steadily increasing for over a decade, according to Variety and Billboard. Kid Cudi previously held the hip-hop vinyl record, selling 41,500 records of Man on the Moon III: The Chosen in December, according to Billboard. In 2021, revenues from vinyl sales increased 61% from 2020 to $1 billion, according to data from the Recording Industry Association of America. The last time vinyl sales crossed $1 billion was in 1986. Vinyl sales accounted for 7% of 2021’s total music revenue. Though vinyl was more popular last year, CD sales also increased. In 2021, one out of every three albums sold were vinyl records, according to MRC Data, Billboard reported.
Further Reading
1 Out of Every 3 Albums Sold in the US in 2021 Were Vinyl LPs (Billboard)