Taylor Swift and The Rolling Stones helped to boost UK vinyl sales to their highest level since 1990, as fans continue to enjoy music in physical formats.
The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) trade group reports that vinyl sales in 2023 rose by 11.7 per cent to 5.9 million units, marking an increase for the 16th consecutive year.
The format has enjoyed an ongoing surge in popularity, thanks to fans who believe that vinyl offers better sound quality over streaming, while also appreciating the collectible nature of LP records.
Compared to previous years, which have been dominated by or split evenly with classic records, 2023’s top 10 was full of new releases.
However, classic albums such as Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours and Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon (Live at Wembley 1974) also continued to perform well.
The best-selling LP of the year was Taylor Swift’s 1989, followed by The Rolling Stones’ album Hackney Diamonds.
Swift had three albums in the top 10 best-selling of 2023: two re-recorded versions (Speak Now and 1989), and her latest studio record, Midnights.
Vinyl records and CDs on sale at HMV’s flagship store on Oxford Street, London— (Getty Images)
See the top 10 best-selling vinyl albums below:
Taylor Swift – 1989 (Taylor’s Version)
The Rolling Stones – Hackney Diamonds
Lana Del Rey – Did You Know There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
Taylor Swift – Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)
Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
Blur – The Ballad of Darren
Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon
Taylor Swift – Midnights
Olivia Rodrigo – Guts
Lewis Capaldi – Broken by Desire to be Heavenly Sent
The albums by Rodrigo, Blur and Del Rey all made The Independent’s albums of the year 2023 list, with Del Rey in the top 10.
“Lana Del Rey returned this year with her ninth album, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, in which questions of family and legacy, memory and death were swirled around a martini glass of swooning balladry,” critic Annabel Nugent wrote.
“Album highlight ‘Margaret’ is a pure paean to love (I’d argue, one of the most romantic songs of the year) while the folky reverie of ‘A&W’ takes a left-turn at the four-minute mark to give way to a sleazy, synthy bassline. Here, Del Rey whispers a few of her most secret yearnings into this record of hushed experimentalism.”
Commenting on this year, BPI boss Dr Jo Twist said: “Led 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.
“Whilst LP sales have now been on an upward path for the past 16 years, it is encouraging to see a stabilisation in demand for CD, as well as new generations of music fans falling in love with the cassette. It is giving people more choice than ever in how they enjoy their favourite music.”
