Vinyl sales rise by nearly 15 percent in first nine months of 2023

Sales of vinyl have risen by nearly 15 percent year-on-year for the first nine months of 2023, a new report reveals.

The new statistics come courtesy of the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) which reveal that a staggering 3,952,262 vinyl LPs were sold up until September, which represents a 13.2 per cent increase since 2022.

When the figures were broken down further, it became apparent that the increase was even bigger for the first three months of the year, which sold 1,237,620 vinyl records – some 15.1 per cent higher than the previous year.

As for the artists leading the vinyl charge, the likes of Lana Del Rey, Blur, Kylie Minogue and Taylor Swift were all flying high.

Del Rey’s Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd is out front with 33,568 copies sold since its release in March.

It’s closely followed by Taylor Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), which was the biggest-selling vinyl release of Q3, with 29,649 sales.

Third place was taken by Blur, whose ninth album The Ballad of Darren sold 26,894 copies and in fourth was Kylie Minogue’s Tension – which has shifted 19,160 copies sold since its release last month.

According to the BPI, the figure is also expected to rise when Take That release their latest album This Life and Taylor Swift drops 1989 (Taylor’s Version).

Another artist likely to take a late charge is The Rolling Stones, whose latest album Hackney Diamonds – their first of original material in 18 years – arrives on October 20.

While vinyl continues to rise, CD sales for 2023 have also dropped by 6.3 per cent year-on-year, and physical sales are similarly down by 0.5 per cent.