UK vinyl sales reach highest peak since early '90s

After Nielsen Music/MRC Data revealed that US vinyl album sales experienced their biggest week ever, with more than 1.8million LPs sold in the week ending 24 December, the BPI have shared data for UK vinyl sales in 2020.

As reported by ITV News, approximately 4.8 million vinyl albums were sold in the UK throughout 2020, which is around a 10% increase on last year's figures, and it also marks the 13th consecutive year that vinyl sales have improved since 2007.

This year's figures also show that UK vinyl sales are at the highest point since the Britpop era in the '90s, and nearly one in five (18%) of all albums bought throughout 2020 were on vinyl.

Chief Executive of BPI Geoff Taylor said, "In a year when all our lives have changed, music’s power to inspire has never been more evident. The immediacy and convenience of streaming make it the go-to audio format for most of our listening, but more and more fans choose to get closer to their favourite artists and albums on vinyl."

He added, "It’s remarkable that LP and audio tape sales should have risen at all given the challenges we’ve all faced. The surge in sales despite retail closures demonstrates the timeless appeal of collectable physical formats alongside the seamless connectivity of streaming."

Last month it was reported that vinyl sales in the UK were up by nearly 10% in 2020, meaning vinyl sales are on track to pass the £100 million mark which would mark the best year for vinyl sales since 1990. UK vinyl sales increased significantly following the first national coronavirus lockdown, which saw sales of all physical music drop by almost half in April due to the closure of non-essential shops. Reports suggest that music fans were spending money on their record collections because of the lack of live shows and events due to COVID-19.