Vinyl sales in 2021 at highest level in three decades

Sales of vinyl records in the UK hit a 30-year high in 2021, according to new figures from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

The BPI’s data shows that more than five million vinyl records were sold this year, an 8% increase on 2020’s figures. It marks the 14th year in a row that the format has seen sales increase, with vinyl records making up 23% of all albums sold in 2021.

The biggest selling album on vinyl this year in the UK was ABBA’s comeback record ‘Voyage’, while Adele’s ’30’ was also a high-seller. The increase has come despite growing concerns around pressing plant delays and rising costs within the vinyl production industry.

Speaking about the figures, Geoff Taylor, chief executive of the BPI said: “It’s a great time to be a music fan, with wider choice on offer than ever before supported by great value.

“Thanks to record label investment into new music and talent, fans can purchase and collect the music they most love on vinyl, CD and even cassette, whilst also enjoying access to over 70 million songs to stream instantly whenever and how often they want, in turn enabling a new generation of artists to create music and sustain successful careers in a global market.”

Read the BPI’s full breakdown of 2021’s sales data here.

The positive figures for vinyl in the UK reflect a reported increase in vinyl record sales of 108% for the first-half of the year in the US.

Revisit DJ Mag’s recent feature on whether manufacturing delays and increasing costs might spell the end of the vinyl revival, at least for small and independent record labels, here.