UK Vinyl Sales at Highest Level in 30 Years
Latest figures show it's not just "nostalgic dads" behind this trend
Vinyl record sales in the UK are at their highest level since 1990. Official figures by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) show a 12% increase in vinyl purchases in 2023, the sixteenth year of consecutive vinyl growth.
Almost six million vinyl records were sold in the UK last year. Over a quarter-million purchases took place in the run-up to Christmas. The timing of HMV’s return to Oxford Street worked a treat!
The small print
These numbers do not include the second-hand market (i.e. used records bought in store or online), so the aggregate total should be much higher.
Best-selling LPs
As per the UK official charts, the best-selling LPs were mostly new releases.
Taylor Swift took the top spot with 1989 and secured two more places in the top ten. The Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds came in second place. The latest efforts by Lana del Rey, Blur, Olivia Rodrigo and Lewis Capaldi also ranked high.
Two reissues of classics (Rumours by Fleetwood Mac and Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon) made their usual rounds.
Other formats
Cassette sales exceeded 100,000 units for the fourth consecutive year. The biggest-selling tape was Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts.
CD sales hovered around 11 million units (the smallest annual decline in almost ten years). The favourite CD was This Life by Take That.
Pit stop: Interestingly, whereas Guts did well on vinyl too, This Life is nowhere to be seen in the LP chart (despite having been released as an LP), which might tell us a thing or two about demographics and formats.
Singles
The Beatles, cementing their reign as the biggest and most influential rock band in the planet, had the best-selling vinyl single of the year with Now and Then.
Can we take a moment to appreciate that we are looking at a vinyl singles chart from 2023, topped by a (previously unreleased) song by a band that split up almost fifty years ago?
In hindsight nothing is surprising, but anyone who experienced first-hand the demise of record collecting at the turn of the century will understand the significance (and beautiful madness) of it all.
More choice
These figures show music lovers are taking advantage of all available formats.
In the words of Dr Jo Twist, BPI’s CEO:
"Led by vinyl, the resurgence of physical product underlines the resilience of the UK music market at a time when streaming consumption continues to hit record levels.
Whilst LP sales have now been on an upward path for the past 16 years, it is encouraging to see a stabilisation in demand for CD, as well as new generations of music fans falling in love with the cassette. It is giving people more choice than ever in how they enjoy their favourite music."
Final thoughts
While the nostalgia element is undeniable, most of these records are new releases by young artists with young audiences.
Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran were born when vinyl was already in decline (1989 and 1991, respectively). Lewis Capaldi is only 27.
Olivia Rodrigo, who had the best-selling cassette of the year, was born in 2003, the year when, ironically, most major US record companies discontinued the manufacture of pre-recorded music cassette tapes. Her album did very well on vinyl too, so it’s crazy to think that most of her die-hard fans discovered vinyl only a few years ago.
These music lovers, many of them still in their twenties, never got to experience the wonders of owning music in physical format when there was no other choice.
The fact that they are choosing to do so now (regardless of what they actually do with the records) is simply astonishing. Or, as commonly heard on these shores… it’s wicked, mate.
Thanks for reading/listening. Happy spinning!
That singles list is wild. Not only did the Beatles top it, but Sex Pistols have 3 spots on the list, and (more or less) broke up 45 years ago.
This whole article makes me happy. And that single release chart makes me happiest of all. ❤️