Urban Outfitters is a poseur. In recent weeks, the claim that the trendy chain sells the most vinyl of any other retailer has been repeated over and over and over again. It is a lie, according to Billboard, because it's actually Amazon dot com that sells the most vinyl.
The false claim reportedly first came from Urban Outfitters exec Calvin Hollinger. According to Billboard, vinyl sales numbers break down like this:
A Billboard analysis shows that Amazon is the largest seller of vinyl in the U.S., with about 12.3% market share, followed by Urban Outfitters with 8.1% market share. Rounding out the top five retail accounts selling vinyl, the next-largest is Hastings Entertainment with 2.8% of the market; Hot Topic with 2.4%; and Trans World Entertainment with 2.2%. Accounts like Audiophile, Acoustic Sounds and Newbury Comics each have market shares between 1.5% and 2%.
Aside from being a very convenient and cheap way to purchase a rather cumbersome and delicate music format, Amazon also adds loads of value to your vinyl purchase with its Autorip service which provides you with a digital version of your physical purchase as well. Vinyl rules, and buying it from Amazon just makes it better. [Amazon]