The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) have revealed UK vinyl sales have reached the highest numbers since the Brit-pop boom of the early 1990s. Figures show that one in five record sales in the UK across 2020 were vinyl’s, with over 4.8 million LPs being purchased over the last year. The is the 13th year that vinyl sales have continued to grow, with sales being up 10% when compared to last years findings.
ICYMI: Vinyl and cassette sales surge as streamers collect the music they love in lockdown.
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— BPI (@bpi_music) December 29, 2020
The soar in numbers have been accredited to campaigns such as LoveRecordStores, Record Store Day and National Album Day. When the physical music market was severely impacted by the national lockdown in March, these campaigns pushed music lovers across the nations to support their local record shops, leading to a massive increase in LP sales.
When speaking of the record-breaking sales, chief executive of the BPI Geoff Taylor spoke passionately of the nation’s support, despite the ongoing global crisis. “In a year when all our lives have changed, music’s power to inspire has never been more evident. The immediacy and convenience of streaming make it the go-to audio format for most of our listening, but more and more fans choose to get closer to their favourite artists and albums on vinyl,” he explained in a statement.
“It’s remarkable that LP and audio tape sales should have risen at all given the challenges we’ve all faced. The surge in sales despite retail closures demonstrates the timeless appeal of collectable physical formats alongside the seamless connectivity of streaming.”
