That Ugly Christmas Jumper Trend

You've seen them--those overdone, ridiculous holiday jumpers that make you smile even as you shake your head at their ticky-tacky look.

Since 2011, the trend has expanded from DIY and vintage shops to indie stores and mainstream retailers like Asda. In fact, Asda has its own selection of ho-ho-ho jumpers, part of a Save the Children cause-related marketing initiative.

At right, a popup screen from today's Primark site, advertising men's Christmas jumpers that are slightly over the top. Santa will chuckle as he sees these ugly jumpers on young and old, male and female, even dogs.

Merry Christmas to all!

Vinyl album sales are up: Back to the future

What happened to album sales in the UK from 2008 to 2012? As shown above, overall album sales dropped, especially in CD form. Digital downloads, however, are much more popular than ever before--reaching £1bn last year for the first time.

The downward trend in album sales has been reported for some time, so it's not new news. Nor is this a UK-only trend: Around the world, digital downloads are surpassing CD sales.

Yet vinyl has become the music format of choice for many. In 2011, LP sales increased in the UK for the first time since 2005. In 2012, vinyl continued to gain in popularity, especially for collectible singles or albums. With special events such as Record Store Day, new and vintage vinyl should continue to sell well during 2013 and beyond as today's fans enjoy the retro look and acoustical quality of LPs.