Annual sales of vinyl records in the UK have surpassed the one million mark for the first time in nearly 20 years, according to figures from the BPI.
The one millionth vinyl album sale happened over the weekend, and with more than a month remaining of 2014, and the Christmas period yet to come, the BPI estimates that the final figure for the year may be closer to 1.2 million records sold.
Despite being released in 2013, ‘AM’ by Arctic Monkeys was the biggest selling vinyl release of this year, with Pink Floyd’s The Endless River topped the vinyl chart this week to become the fastest-selling vinyl album this century, with sales of 6,000 in its first week.
Official Charts Chief Executive, Martin Talbot, commented:
“In scoring the biggest opening week for a vinyl album this millennium, Pink Floyd’s The Endless River illustrates the British public’s renewed love for this format, which is on course to become a £20million business this year – an incredible turnaround from barely £3m just five years ago. This resurgence also underlines music fans’ continuing fascination with the album.”
The record vinyl sales come as digital sales on iTunes have started to decline after years of growth as streaming services such as Spotify have taken listener market share and changed the music model from one of ownership to one with a monthly subscription.
