Despite ABBA trying their very best to try and get a vinyl copy of their recent album Voyager onto the record shelves of everyone in the UK over the age of 40, the Official Charts Company and Music Week have revealed that David Bowie has, in fact, shifted the largest number of vinyl records in the UK this century. From the 2000’s up to the modern-day (specifically January 6^th 2022) Bowie has sold (apparently exactly) 582,704 records, overshadowing out The Beatles, who bagged 2^nd place, and their measly 535,596 units. Making them the only 2 artists to break the half-million mark this side of the millennium.

Interestingly, if you have a look at the data for 2021 Bowie’s sales only land him in 3^rd place with 53,181, right behind Taylor Swift in second with 56,917, and then The Beatles rounding out the list with 58,567. But as for the ’20s as a whole, Bowie comes out on top; more than likely due to the massive reissue campaign that has been put in place now Warner Chappell Music own the publishing rights to all of Bowie’s back catalogue. A 50th-anniversary limited-edition picture disc version of the seminal album Hunky Dory proved to be a massive success that allowed the album to re-enter the vinyl charts at no.31. Bowie’s posthumous release Toy also proved to be a commercial success after its Box-set and standard edition vinyl release launched it up to 5^th position. The last release to make big waves for Bowie since the release of Blackstar and his untimely death in 2016 is the compilation album Legacy, the 75^th birthday celebrations have led to a spike in sales allowing the album to sit at 19^th for the duration of the celebrations.

This news comes not long after the announcement that vinyl sales in the UK are experiencing a new high that comes from 14 consecutive years of growth for the format. 2021 was the first year since 1991 to have more than 5 million vinyl records sold in the UK. This feat may have been helped along by record-breaking releases from ABBA, Adele, and other mammoth rollouts like that from Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift last year.

Bowie’s official merch store is currently still shifting copies of a series of releases in association with Bowie’s 75th birthday celebrations. If you want some reasonably limited pressings, picture disc reissues, or one of the few remaining Toy box-sets, then now is your time to get in there quickly.