It’s a record: Vinyl sales to hit 2m

IT’S TIME to forget digital downloads and dust off those turntables, as vinyl music enjoys a major revival.

Last year, more than a million albums were sold on vinyl for the first time in almost two decades after seven years of growth.

And with sales expected to hit two million this year, an official weekly vinyl chart has been brought back.

The inaugural top spot in the album rankings is claimed by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. The former Oasis musician’s new band – which has also taken the top two places in the singles chart – released the album Chasing Yesterday last month.

Classic releases by Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and David Bowie have also landed in the current top ten. The Official Vinyl Charts are released today in advance of Record Store Day on Saturday, which celebrates independent music shops.

Martin Talbot, Official Charts Company chief executive, said: ‘With vinyl album sales up by almost 70 per cent already this year, vinyl junkies could well have snapped up two 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 underlines the continuing resurgence of this much-loved format, whether you’re a fan of Arctic Monkeys, Noel Gallagher, Led Zeppelin or David Bowie.’

Last year saw almost 1. million vinyl albums sold, compared to 56million CDs and around 6,000 cassette tapes. Although vinyl still only made up 1.5 per cent of all album sales, its figures were the highest they have been since 1995. That year, 1.4million records were sold compared to 40million CDs and 24million tapes.

Vinyl’s popularity hit an all-time high in 1975, when 92million LPs were sold. It was the most popular format for music until 1985, when it was overtaken by cassettes.

In the latest vinyl album charts, Led Zeppelin have two entries in the top ten. Physical Graffiti, released in 1975, claims second place behind Gallagher, while Four Symbols, from 1971, is at number ten.

Classic artists have also done well in the singles chart, with Bowie’s 1975 track Young Americans coming in third.