UK vinyl sales at highest level since 1990

UK sales of vinyl LPs have hit their highest level since 1990 as the revival of the physical music market continues.

Sales rose by 11.7% in the first 51 weeks of the year to 5.9 million units, increasing for the 16th year in a row, according to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) trade group.

Taylor Swift's 1989 (Taylor's Version) was the best-selling LP, followed by the Rolling Stones' Hackney Diamonds.

Cassette sales also did well, topping 100,000 for a fourth consecutive year.

While more than four-fifths of recorded music is consumed via streaming, vinyl has made a huge comeback recently, with fans seeing it as more collectible and having better sound quality.

The BPI, the trade body for the UK music industry, said the popularity of independent record stores and the rebirth of specialist music chain HMV had also helped.

New releases dominated the list of best-selling vinyl albums, with Ed Sheeran, Lewis Capaldi and Lana Del Rey also in the top 10.

However, classic albums and reissues were also among the top performers, including Fleetwood Mac's Rumors and Pink Floyd's the Dark Side of the Moon (Live At Wembley 1974).

The BPI said cassette sales were also picking up again after dying out in early 1990s, while the decline in CD sales had begun to slowdown, "plateauing" at most 11 million units in 2023.

Take That's This Life is the year's top selling CD, while Olivia Rodrigo's Guts was the best performing cassette.

BPI boss Dr Jo Twist OBE said: "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."