According to the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), vinyl sales in the UK surpassed CD sales for the first time since 1987. In 2022, vinyl album sales totaled £150.5 million, up 11%, while CD sales totaled £124 million, down 17.4%.
The data released also shows that overall music sales increased by 3%, reaching 2 billion. This figure is the highest since 2003 and double the lowest in 2013.
In an interview with Music Week , ERA president Kim Bayley commented: “We are approaching a turning point. Thanks to the investment and ingenuity of streaming services on the one hand, and physical retailers who have driven the vinyl revival on the other, music is about to surpass $2 billion in retail sales value for the first time in over two decades.”
"Music has to be good to capture people's attention, but ultimately it's the shopping and consumption experience that persuades people to reach into their pockets."
The United States also recorded its biggest week of vinyl record sales in December since 1991, with approximately 2.2 million records sold.
Harry Styles had the best-selling album of the year, Harry's House (2022), which features the smash hit "As It Was". Taylor Swift Midnights (2022) and Arctic Monkeys The Car (2022) were other major highlights. Taylor's album, in fact, was the first since 1980 to outsell vinyl than CD, having five editions in different colors.
“Taylor Swift and Arctic Monkeys were always going to be big in retail, but it’s fair to say that few expected them to be this big. It’s a reminder that, at least in physical form, great albums can change everything,” said the executive.
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