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Authors: JordanImage copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
The market in collectible vinyl is huge, but largely ignored in the music industry's official statistics
Record collectors spent more than $200m (£147m) at the online music marketplace Discogs last year, the BBC can reveal.The site, which helps collectors find and trade rare music, sold more than 10m records - up from 8.3m in 2016.Vinyl was the most popular format, with 7.9m sales - including a rare Beatles record that fetched $10,502 (£7,700).The 7-inch single was one of only 250 issued with Sir Paul McCartney's name spelled incorrectly on the label as "Paul McArtney".Most expensive items on Discogs (Jan - Mar 2018)Artist / TitleFormatPrice1) The Beatles - Love Me DoPromotional 7-inch single$10,502 (£7,700)2) Pet Shop Boys - Yes11-disc box set$7,337 (£5,378)3) Gorilla Biscuits - Gorilla BiscuitsYellow vinyl$6,144 (£4,503)4) Prince - Black AlbumLimited edition test pressing$5,130 (£3,760)5) Pink Floyd - MeddleBlue transparent vinyl$4,400 (£3,225)Discogs' success reflects a revival in the music industry's fortunes as well as the continuing consumer interest in vinyl.However, its figures are largely hidden from official music industry statistics, because they derive from private sellers trading second-hand records.Launched in 2000, the site was the brainchild of then-Intel programmer Kevin Lewandowski, who wanted to catalogue his collection of electronic albums.It slowly transformed into a sort of Wikipedia for music obsessives - featuring crowd-sourced information on more than 9.8 million recordings, from major chart hits to hard-to-find obscurities.But the platform really took off in 2007, when it added a marketplace feature that allowed users to buy and sell vinyl.And with a business model similar to eBay or Amazon, where the site takes 8% of sales, Discogs would have generated something like $16 million (£11.7 million) in revenues last year.Image copyrightPAImage caption
Tracy Chapman's debut album continues to be a big-seller on the site
The site's best-sellers list also provide a unique, outsiders' perspective on the music market.The most popular record so far this year, for example, is a compilation album from the mysterious, short-lived 90s electro label Scopex.More recognisable names like Tracy Chapman, Madonna, Daft Punk and Prince also feature in the Top 20.Kendrick Lamar's Damn was the most-collected current release in the first three months of 2018, while Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon topped the catalogue charts.And while vinyl is the most popular format amongst Discogs' users, the site also saw a 29% increase in the number of cassette sold last year - with 162,811 tapes changing hands.Best-sellers on Discogs (Jan - Mar 2018)Artist / TitleFormatYear of Release1) Various Artists - Scopex 98/004-LP box set20172) Yasuaki Shimizu - KakashiVinyl reissue20173) Ryan Adams - Live At Rough TradeVinyl album20174) Solid Space - Solid SpaceDouble album, bonus tracks20175) Gorillaz - Demon DaysRed translucent vinyl20176) Velly Joonas - Stopp, Seisku Aeg!7-inch single20157) Andrés - New For U12-inch single20128) Prince And The Revolution - Purple RainVinyl album19849) Daft Punk - Random Access Memories180 gram double vinyl201310) Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You12-inch single199811) Tracy Chapman - Tracy ChapmanVinyl album198812) Shame - Songs of PraiseLimited edition blue vinyl201813) The Breeders - All NerveLimited edition orange vinyl201814) Khruangbin - The Universe Smiles Upon You180 gram vinyl201615) Dream 2 Science - Dream 2 Science12-inch single201216) Leafar Legov - Family12-inch single201717) Camelphat Elderbrook - Cola12-inch single201718) Panda Bear - A Day With The Homies12-inch EP201819) Greta Van Fleet - Black Smoke Rising12-inch EP in gatefold sleeve201720) Madonna - True BlueVinyl album198620) Sophie Lloyd - Calling Out7-inch single2017Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents.
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