As the UK gears up for Record Store Day this weekend (April 12), the Official Charts Company is marking 10 years since the launch of the Official Vinyl Albums Chart and Official Vinyl Singles Chart.
The charts were launched amid the nascent resurgence in vinyl sales, which has now been established for 17 years – and Q1 showed another surge in sales. Ten years on, more vinyl records are purchased today than 30 years ago, while younger fans are increasingly drawn to the format.
According to Official Charts data, new pop albums accounted for seven out of 10 of the UK’s annual best-sellers of non-catalogue titles on vinyl over the past decade, with releases from Taylor Swift, Adele, Kylie Minogue and ABBA topping end-of-year Official Vinyl Chart rankings (see below).
For 2023 (above), both Taylor Swift's 1989 (Taylor's Version) and Hackney Diamonds by the Rolling Stones are listed, as there is some debate about whether the re-recording of 1989 should be considered a catalogue release.
For 2024, there was also a marked impact for pop and new releases in the Top 10 vinyl rankings both in the UK and globally in IFPI’s rankings, led by Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department.
Pop acts participating in Record Store Day this week include Charli XCX, Sugababes, Olivia Dean, Dannii Minogue, Taylor Swift and Melanie C.
Taylor Swift dominates decade’s best-selling vinyl releases
Taylor Swift has topped the Official Vinyl Chart on several occasions since the chart’s launch, and her 2022 album Midnights has emerged as top of Official Charts’ newly unveiled list of the best-selling new vinyl releases (non-catalogue) of the past 10 years. Midnights, which sold over 129,000 vinyl units to claim the top spot, is one of three Taylor Swift albums in the Top 10.
Harry Styles’s Harry’s House is the top vinyl release by a British artist, while albums from Billie Eilish, David Bowie, Ed Sheeran and Tame Impala also make the decade list.
But it’s important to note the impact of evergreen catalogue on vinyl sales – such as Fleetwood Mac’s perennial vinyl seller Rumours, Arctic Monkeys’ AM, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon and Oasis’ Definitely Maybe – which are not represented here in the Official Charts Company’s look back at the decade of new releases on vinyl.
Furthermore, recent figures from ERA show that catalogue is still the main driver of vinyl sales, despite the impact of pop acts with new releases on the format.
Vinyl’s share of sales soars
Vinyl’s share of album pure sales surged from 3% to 34% during the Official Vinyl Chart’s first decade of existence. The collectible format has become increasingly popular alongside the convenience of streaming.
In 2024, 6.7 million vinyl albums were sold, almost a five-fold increase from 1994, returning the total UK physical music market to growth for the first time in three decades, as reported by the BPI.
When the Official Vinyl Charts launched in 2015, vinyl’s share of pure album sales that year sat at 2.66%. That share has since rocketed to 33.81% by the end of the chart’s first decade, according to Official Charts data.
This time last year, UK vinyl sales enjoyed their highest weekly total in 30 years (269,134 vinyl albums) thanks to the release of Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department, coinciding with Record Store Day 2024.
While independent record shops make up 3% of the UK albums market, they account for a disproportionate 36% of vinyl sales today. Record Store Day has become the most important fixture in the indie record shop calendar.
Vinyl shoppers are getting younger
According to UK indie record shops, vinyl shoppers are getting noticeably younger, and it’s pop that’s often drawing them in.
Steve Courtnell, from Pie & Vinyl, Southsea said: “We’re really starting to see a younger customer, between the ages of 16 and 25. All the different colourways in vinyl have made records more collectible. People want to see the colours, open their records, look at the artwork, it’s so much more tangible. Pop artists in particular – Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter have all led the way in establishing coloured records and making them collectible.”
Gary Moore, from Assai Records, Dundee, added: “Over the last few years, it's dramatically changed age-wise. Young people are just mad for records these days, which is really exciting. It’s such a fun vibe in the shop, especially on a Saturday.”
Scott Gamble, of Crash Records, Leeds, said: “For Record Store Day a few years back, Taylor Swift released an exclusive record that was only available in independent record stores, Folklore: The Long Pond Sessions. We set up a specific counter just to serve customers with that record! We sold hundreds of them, could have sold thousands!”
Mark Thorne of Thorne Records, Edinburgh, added: "Edinburgh is a wonderful tourist city so we have people from all around the world visiting, but the thing I love the most is that we have two high schools and a primary school on our doorstep, which means we have a huge influx of young people experiencing records and record shops for the first time. Helping people choose their first record is such a privilege and a joy!"
Pop-up shop helps The Lottery Winners’ hit No.1
To launch their new chart-topping album KOKO, The Lottery Winners ran a week-long pop-up shop and live music space in their hometown of Leigh. The Greater Manchester indie-pop band collaborated with independent record shops Wax & Beans (Bury) and Pie & Vinyl (Southsea) to ensure sales counted towards the albums chart.
The Lottery Winners said: “There’s nothing more special than going to a record store, having a sift through, picking one up and feeling the artwork. You don’t just want that on your phone, do you? Physically owning an album is so important. We love seeing independent record shops busy. We love seeing people excited for new releases. We love Record Store Day. Music is not disposable. Let’s buy it. Let’s hold it physically. Let’s keep it forever!”
Martin Talbot, CEO, Official Charts, said: “The surge of interest and sales of vinyl over the past decade is one of music’s great comebacks – but it should not have been a surprise. There has always been something special about picking up a vinyl single or album, reviewing the credits, flicking through the liner notes, spinning it in your palms, even breathing in the unmistakable aroma of a fresh new disc.
“We are delighted to be celebrating this 10-year celebration of the Official Vinyl Charts and the vinyl revival that they have chronicled – especially coming just a few days before the annual celebration of vinyl, in the form of Record Store Day 2025.”
Kim Bayley, CEO of digital entertainment and retail trade association ERA, which organises Record Store Day, said: “Indie record stores have been the catalyst for the huge growth of vinyl sales in the UK over the past two decades and Record Store Day is the celebration which brings it all together. We are proud of the work our members have done on behalf of artists and fans to drive the vinyl revival and are happy to join with the Official Charts Company to celebrate The Official Vinyl Chart.”
Dr Jo Twist OBE, BPI chief executive, said: “The Official Charts tell the definitive story of the breadth of music that we listen to each week through all our streams and album purchases. The Official Vinyl Chart is an important part of this story, and for the past decade has captured both the revival and then the continuing growth in demand for a format that remains much loved by artists and fans alike, including increasingly a new generation. Our congratulations to the Official Charts Company on so brilliantly charting this success.”
Subscribers can read more on Music Week about how Record Store Day is targeting younger superfans.
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