Nielsen SoundScan have released the sales data for this year's Record Story Day which took place on Saturday, April 16, 2011. For their accounting, Nielsen SoundScan included sales figures are for the entire week, Monday-Sunday (week ending April 17, 2011) in the U.S.Their conclusions: 2011 is the most successful Record Store Day yet and independent record stores sold 13% more albums in 2011 vs. 2010 for the week of Record Store Day.
Album sales at independent record stores increased more than 39% over the prior week. Vinyl album sales increased more than 220% at independent record stores. Independent record stores sold nearly 84% of all Vinyl LPs last week.
The top selling vinyl album was Panda Bear's Tomboy, with 7,000 copies sold for the week.
Vinyl singles sold at a rate of over 13-times greater than the normal sales week.
Record Store Day sales doubled the entire year-to-date vinyl single total in just one week; sales of vinyl singles last week are nearly double last year's 2010 Record Store Day.
There were 27 new vinyl single releases that sold at least 500 copies.
"Brown Sugar"/The Rolling Stones is the best selling vinyl single released for Record Store Day, with 2,000 copies sold.
The Foo Fighters released Medium Rare – a 120 gram Record Store Day exclusive – which sold 2,000 copies. The Foo Fighters also had the best-selling album overall for the week, Wasting Light with 235,000 copies sold.
Top sellers at "core" independent record stores increased 88% over the prior week; in 2010 this figure was +26% and +16% in 2009.
Independent record store album sales increases by year:
(sales percentage increase over the prior week)
2011 (April 16, 2011): +39%
2010 (April 17, 2010): +12%
2009 (April 18, 2009): +21%
2008 (April 19, 2008): +0.4%
2011 was up more than 70% from Record Store Day in 2010. The weekly increase in 2010 was 119%.
