LONDON -- Sales of vinyl records in the United Kingdom have surged this year to hit the highest level since 1990 â with a little help from Taylor Swift.
Vinyl sales have jumped 11.7 per cent so far in 2023 to 5.9 million units, according to released Thursday by the British Phonographic Industry, an association of U.K. record companies and labels.
Thatâs more than four times the increase in sales in 2022 and marks the 16th consecutive year of rising sales for the classic format, according to a BPI analysis of data from , which tracks U.K. music sales and streams.
Last week alone, the trade body said, consumers bought more than 250,000 vinyl albums, making it the biggest week of sales this century.
Swiftâs â1989 (Taylorâs Version)â album â originally released in 2014 â sold the most copies so far this year, followed by The Rolling Stonesâ âHackney Diamonds,â Lana Del Reyâs âDid You Know Know Thereâs A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvdâ and Swiftâs âSpeak Now (Taylorâs Version).â
The surge in vinyl sales comes as the physical music market â which includes vinyl records, CDs and cassette tapes â continues to grow, even as streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music retain their dominance of the overall music market.
In the United States, physical music sales during the first half of 2023 hit the highest level since 2013, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
Still, streaming services accounted for 84 per cent of the total revenues from recorded music sales over that same six-month period, RIAA said, with paid subscriptions the âstrongest driverâ of revenue growth.
In the U.K., 80 per cent of recorded music is listened to on streaming platforms, according to the BPI.
âLed by vinyl, the resurgence of physical product underlines the resilience of the UK music market at a time when streaming consumption continues to hit record levels,â Jo Twist, BPIâs chief executive, said in a statement.