UK’s first Official Vinyl Charts launch as vinyl sales soar in 2015

The biggest selling vinyl albums and singles of 2015 so far revealed

We're excited to announce the launch of the UK’s first ever weekly Official Vinyl Charts, published exclusively right here on OfficialCharts.com, as new figures reveal the vinyl resurgence powers on strongly in 2015.

Kicking off Record Store Day week 2015, new proof arrives today that Britain’s renewed interest in music on vinyl shows little sign of slowing.

2014 witnessed vinyl LP sales reaching a 20-year high in the UK at 1.29 million, following seven years of unbroken growth, and now, new Official Charts Company data for the first quarter of 2015 reveals that this trend is continuing at pace, with vinyl album purchasing up yet again a staggering 69% versus the same period in 2014, and vinyl singles also up 23%.

1.3 million vinyl albums sold in 2014.jpg

So while it's quite clear that music fans and collectors alike can't get enough of the format, the Official Charts Company are pleased to introduce the UK’s first ever Official Vinyl Charts.

The Official Vinyl Albums Chart Top 40 and Official Vinyl Singles Chart Top 40 (combining sales of 7” and 12” singles) launch exclusively on the all-new OfficialCharts.com - the online home of the Official Charts.

Following a period of rapid audience growth hitting record traffic of 2.5 million monthly unique users, our newly revamped mobile-friendly site – which was awarded Site Of The Fortnight and a 5* review by Web User Magazine, as well as being shortlisted for Best Website at this summer’s Brand Republic Digital Awards - will become the exclusive home of the weekly rundown, with the charts published each week on Sundays, 7pm.

Martin Talbot, Chief Executive, Official Charts Company comments:

“We’re delighted to launch the UK’s first Official Vinyl Albums and Official Vinyl Singles charts on OfficialCharts.com, to coincide with Record Store Day this coming weekend. With vinyl album sales up by almost 70% already this year, vinyl junkies could well have snapped up 2 million units by the end of this year – an extraordinary number, if you consider sales were one-tenth of that just six years ago. This growth underlines the continuing resurgence of this much-loved format, whether you’re a fan of Arctic Monkeys, Noel Gallagher, Led Zeppelin or David Bowie.”

Vinyl resurgence powers on - 2015 sales up 69%25.jpg

Kings of this week's main Official Albums Chart and also responsible for Britain's best-selling vinyl record of the week, All Time Low’s frontman Alex Gaskarth said:

“What’s been going on with vinyl at the moment is really cool. What I love is that there are different worlds of vinyl fans; there’s the audiophiles who swear by the sound of vinyl, the people for who like owning it as a collector’s piece, and then groups like our fans who buy a vinyl of our record simply so they can hang it on their wall.

“Back in Baltimore there’s this incredible record store called Sound Garden, which I can regularly be found in. What I love about vinyl is that it makes a real event out of music; you go into a record shop and have to search out what’s there. The world is in music overload at the moment, so it’s great to see more people honing in on certain artists by buying a vinyl and showing loyalty to their favourites. It makes the whole experience of listening to an album special.”

UK vinyl retailer Phil Barton of Sister Ray Records, Soho, London adds:

“The resurgence in vinyl sales has been a great boost for the independent trade. The launch of the Official Vinyl Charts tells the world that a format that is loved and revered is more relevant now than ever - far from being a curiosity, vinyl is the go-to format for many music fans.”

Official Vinyl Albums Chart - Q1 2015

1	CHASING YESTERDAY	NOEL GALLAGHER'S HIGH FLYING
2	PHYSICAL GRAFFITI	LED ZEPPELIN
3	AM	ARCTIC MONKEYS
4	ROYAL BLOOD	ROYAL BLOOD
5	THE RACE FOR SPACE	PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING
6	SHADOWS IN THE NIGHT	BOB DYLAN
7	THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON	PINK FLOYD
8	LOST IN THE DREAM	WAR ON DRUGS
9	HAPPY PEOPLE	PEACE
10	FOUR SYMBOLS	LED ZEPPELIN

Official Vinyl Singles Chart - Q1 2015

1	BALLAD OF THE MIGHTY I	NOEL GALLAGHER'S HIGH FLYING
2	THE DYING OF THE LIGHT	NOEL GALLAGHER'S HIGH FLYING
3	YOUNG AMERICANS	DAVID BOWIE
4	UPTOWN FUNK	MARK RONSON FT BRUNO MARS
5	HOPE FOR THE FUTURE	PAUL MCCARTNEY
6	THE HUNTER	SLAVES
7	CUT ME AND I'LL BLEED	BLOSSOMS
8	HANDSOME	VACCINES
9	IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT	NOEL GALLAGHER'S HIGH FLYING
10	I COULD GIVE YOU ALL THAT YOU DON'T WANT	TWILIGHT SAD

Annual UK vinyl album sales volumes

YEAR	VINYL LP SALES VOLUME	SHARE OF UK ALBUMS MARKET
1995	1,410,905	1.60%
1996	1,083,206	1.00%
1997	817,018	0.70%
1998	642,102	0.50%
1999	672,866	0.60%
2000	751,857	0.60%
2001	761,558	0.50%
2002	657,127	0.40%
2003	579,248	0.40%
2004	453,254	0.30%
2005	351,224	0.20%
2006	250,926	0.20%
2007	205,292	0.10%
2008	208,526	0.20%
2009	219,449	0.20%
2010	234,471	0.20%
2011	337,041	0.30%
2012	388,768	0.40%
2013	780,674	0.80%
2014	1,288,510	1.50%

Related artists

Punith

4th March 2016

I am a vinyl seller in India. Can somebody provide me couple of distributors in UK and uk, so that I can talk to them.

Jason Harvey

21st December 2015

I know exactly why. It's to do with low quality music getting all the airplay since 2007. this has isolated a lot of music fans. on top of that people are using Phones and Tablets instead of laptops and computers and they don't have a lot of space on them to keep stuff on. So people are going back to basics and starting to listen to higher quality older music and wanting a physical copy of the music that has more value then a computer file

Melodica Music Stores

28th October 2015

Jambo/Hello citizens of the World and salute to all vinyl junkies.
It's the vinyl. There's just something so absolute about it like it's something worth having found dearly and with sentiments.
It's in the handling of it like in 'Here it is' ... it is mine and no cloud or internet storage can ever take it away.
One does not have to wonder where it went to or why one can't locate it on one's comp.
Vinyls are always in your possession and they never let you down.

Daniel Buck

27th May 2015

The major record companies need to wake up and start pushing vinyl as the 'in' media. Exclusive tracks only available on vinyl, the great long lost non album track 'b' sides on 7" would be a start. Vinyl is making a comeback, but it's continued rise is now down to the record companies.

Punith

4th March 2016

Hi Daniel,

I am a vinyl seller in India. Can you provide me couple of distributors in UK and uk, so that I can talk to them.

IrishAlbion

25th April 2015

Just bought my first vinyl since the early 90s. Simple minds big music. Quality. You can't beat the look,feel and sound of vinyl.

Chris Collins

15th April 2015

When will they learn. Vinyl is forever You can't loose it, it won't crash and best of all its in your hands and you feel it,

Graham Crump

15th April 2015

Never disposed of my vinyl, kept it in prime condition and regularly play it, the more recent quality of vinyl is excellent. Cannot beat the covers to read whilst enjoying the music.

steelyeyedmissileman

13th April 2015

Great I've still got my Linn Sondek upmarket turntable - very expensive.
I have a lot of money unlike poor people

Tom

30th August 2015

If you think an old Sondek is worth a lot of money these days, then you're clearly not rich at all.

jude

13th April 2015

Still got all mine . Thank god at those prices ! Nothing to play them on though

Melodica Music Stores

28th October 2015

Jambo/Hello Jude,
China is producing Vinyl Record players like in total style and in total variety. Lookup your regional stores and hopefully they may be selling what is in the market and also go searching in Alibaba for stores that retail near you. They are reasonable in price and they work very well.
I know what you feel......You want to play your records and you will.