2023 marks 16th consecutive year of UK vinyl sales growth as Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and Take That lead physical formats

Sales of vinyl LPs have increased for a 16th consecutive year in the UK in 2023, with the fastest rate of growth this decade.

According to BPI analysis of Official Charts data, this year vinyl sales have increased four times as fast as 2022, with an 11.7% rise to 5.9 million units (up to week 51). In 2022, vinyl sales increased year-on-year by 2.9%.

As independent record shops continue to enjoy success with consumers helping to maintain a healthy high street for physical music, the proof of the rise of physical product is further bolstered by HMV’s return to its original flagship store on London’s Oxford Street, four years after its closure.

Despite four-fifths of recorded music consumption being made up of streaming, the demand for vinyl refuses to slow down with the market at its highest annual level for 33 years. More than 250,000 vinyl albums were sold in the week leading up to Christmas alone. Taylor Swift's 1989 (Taylor's Version) is the biggest seller on vinyl of the year so far.

There’s also good news for CDs this year, as the format sees its smallest annual decline for nearly a decade. 11 million CDs were sold in 2023 (led by Take That's chart-topping album This Life), while cassettes managed over 100,000 sales for the fourth year in a row, with Olivia Rodrigo's second album GUTS out in front year-to-date.

Out of the ten biggest vinyl albums of the year so far, seven are new releases including Taylor Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version), Lewis Capaldi’s Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent, The Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds and Kylie Minogue’s Tension.

The full Official end-of-year vinyl charts for 2023 will be revealed by Official Charts in the new year.