Record Store Day puts vinyl in the spotlight amid falling sales

About fifty record shops in Belgium are on Saturday participating in the 16th edition of Record Store Day, the international day of the independent record store. The fact that record sales have fallen slightly is not discouraging the organisers, who have set up numerous exclusive releases, performances and autograph sessions.

The Belgian ambassador of the event this year is Flemish pop star Pommelien Thijs. Especially for the occasion, a so-called “split single” by Thijs and the Dutch ambassador of Record Store Day, DI-RECT, will be released. This “split single” will be given for free to the first thousand customers who make a purchase in one of the participating stores on Saturday.

Although vinyl was on the rise for a long time, the Belgian Recorded Music Association (BRMA) reports that sales stagnated in 2024. Overall, total vinyl sales accounted for about 9.25 million euros in 2024, which is a slight decline compared to the 9.90 million euros recorded in 2023. That decline probably is part of the overall contraction of the physical market.

^{Record shop "Doctor Vinyl" in Brussels © BELGA PHOTO Simon Wohlfahrt / AFP}

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