Well, here we are again, friends, and what a week it's been in the music world. Let me tell you what's been happening out there while the rest of the world was still digesting their turkey.
First up, we've got Record Store Day Black Friday happening right now, and I've got to tell you, this vinyl renaissance isn't some passing fad. Independent record stores are experiencing their strongest weekly sales in three decades with 278 stores participating this year. We're talking releases from everyone from Sam Fender and Billie Eilish to Post Malone and Bruno Mars. Vinyl sales are up 7.4 percent overall through the third quarter, and here's what really gets me excited: smaller artists are finally waking up to the fact that physical formats are a legitimate revenue stream. Seventy-five percent of fans are buying physical music specifically to support the artists they love. That's real connection, listeners. That's the kind of thing that streaming algorithms can never replicate.
Speaking of physical formats, Spain and Italy are showing us how vinyl can revitalize entire music markets. Spain saw vinyl jump 25.6 percent to 12 million euros, making up nearly 70 percent of all physical sales there. That's not just nostalgia, that's a genuine shift in how people want to experience music.
Now let's talk about what's actually dropping today. Ed Sheeran's Play Deluxe is here, Jessie J's Don't Tease Me With A Good Time, and we've got everything from Neil Young's 50th anniversary reissue of Tonight's the Night to fresh tracks from Central Cee, Lil Uzi Vert, and Rachel Chinouriri. The Roots are releasing The Roots Come Alive Too, a live recording from Blue Note NYC, and Romeo Santos has a new project on Sony Music. It's a solid Friday for discovery.
But here's what's keeping me up at night: the music industry is grappling with AI-generated music flooding the charts, and listeners are having trouble distinguishing it from human-made music. Meanwhile, Amuse just hit a milestone paying out 10 million dollars in royalty advances to independent artists through their Fast Forward feature, which shows there's real momentum for supporting creators directly.
The industry's also making some smart moves. Suno, an AI music company, acquired Songkick from Warner Music Group, the concert discovery platform. And Spotify's planning a price increase in 2026, their first since June 2024. Travis Scott also just wrapped the highest-grossing solo rap tour in history with his Circus Maximus World Tour, moving 2.2 million tickets.
So listeners, that's what's happening in our world right now, this beautiful collision between the old and the new, between algorithms and authenticity.
Thank you for tuning in with me today. Make sure you subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next week when we get new albums from Lil Baby, Sam Fender, and Zac Brown Band.
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