Hipsternomics: Urban Outfitters claims it's No. 1 seller of vinyl

NEW YORK, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Urban Outfitters is bringing vintage music back as the number one seller of vinyl, claimed the company's Chief Administrative Officer Calvin Hollinger.

"Music is very, very important to the Urban customer ... in fact, we are the world's number one vinyl seller," Hollinger said during a call with industry analysts.

There isn't much competition for vinyl sales in the age of the iPod. Independent record stores accounted for 64 percent of sales in the United States in 2012. Target and Whole Foods recently started selling select titles in vinyl, but it hasn't yet taken off the ground.

The hipster mecca attributes its sales to its stocking technique. They do not buy the records but rather rent its shelf space to hundreds of LP vendors.

Music sales in general are falling thanks to streaming services like Spotify, Pandora and Songza, but the hipsters are shooting up vinyl sales. Around 6.1 million LPs were sold in the U.S. in 2013, the most in 22 years, reports Forbes.

Urban Outfitters does have sales problems. It has dropped below its ideal demographic of 18-28 and has been selling to high-schoolers. The store's vinyls may be the only thing that saves it as it has been the subject of recent controversies.