IT wasn’t so long ago that they were out of tune with the tastes of today’s music lovers.
According to the 2021 sales figures, which will show that they are at their best in 30 years, vinyl records have been reviving and growing rapidly.
As the format thrived during the pandemic, more than five million vinyl albums were purchased in the UK – up 8 per cent on 2020, according to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). This is the fourteenth consecutive year in growth.
Record: Adele’s Album 30 sold over half a million copies on vinyl
It is also the highest total since 1990 when Phil Collins’ …But Seriously was the UK’s biggest selling title.
The figures, based on Official Charts Company data, indicate vinyl albums now account for 23 per cent of all those purchased – competing with downloads, CDs and the revived compact cassette format.
The BPI expects to announce in its annual report that classic LPs Rumours by Fleetwood Mac and Back To Black by Amy Winehouse, which were reissued in 2021 to coincide with National Album Day, are among the year’s best-sellers.
Photo: Top 5 Vinyl LPs in 2021
Major 2021 releases including Abba’s Voyage, Adele’s 30 and Ed Sheeran’s = [Equals]These are projected to rise in the charts.
Despite a worldwide shortage of the PVC which vinyl records are made of, Adele’s record label Sony ordered 500,000 copies of her latest LP 30 pressed on vinyl. The recording had to be sent to the plants six months before.
Record labels and artists prefer vinyl as the most lucrative format. Adele’s album 30 costs £30 to purchase on vinyl but around £11 on CD, £10 as a tape and £9 as a download.
Campaigns such as National Album Day, Record Store Day and Tim’s Twitter Listening Parties helped rally vinyl sales for independent record shops and specialist chains.
The report also said 190,000 cassettes had been purchased in the past 12 months – up a fifth on 2020 and the highest since 2003 when 243,000 were sold and Now! 54 cassettes were the most popular in this format.
This year would mark the ninth consecutive decade of cassette growth.
The BPI expects to announce in its annual report that classic LPs Rumours by Fleetwood Mac (pictured) and Back To Black by Amy Winehouse, which were reissued in 2021 to coincide with National Album Day, are among the year’s best-sellers
Ex-High School Musical star Olivia Rodrigo’s album Sour is predicted to be the best-selling cassette album of the year alongside rapper Dave’s We’re All Alone In This Together and Queen’s Greatest Hits.
Geoff Taylor, of the BPI, Brit Awards & Mercury Prize, said: ‘It’s a great time to be a music fan, with a wider choice on offer than ever before supported by great value.
‘Fans can purchase and collect the music they most love on vinyl, CD and even cassette, whilst also enjoying access to more than 70million songs to stream instantly – enabling a new generation of artists to create music and sustain successful careers.’
BPI will publish its year end sales figures on January 4.