Vinyl record sales reached their highest level in 30 years

UK vinyl record sales surged in 2021, as nearly a quarter (23%) of albums purchased this year were vinyl.

Vinyl records in the UK have sold more than 5 million for the first time since 1991.

ABBA's "Voyage" is the best-selling one. It was the fastest-selling vinyl record of the century, selling 30,000 copies in its first week.

Sales increased by 8% over 2020, marking the 14th consecutive year of growth for the format.

Before the digital revolution, vinyl records were the most popular way to listen to music. However, the format's recent pick-up in popularity shows no signs of slowing down, with new data predicting sales to reach their highest level in more than three decades.

CD sales continue to decline. Only 14 million CDs were purchased, the lowest number since the format was first introduced in the UK in 1988.

However, despite the decline, CD sales fell by only 12% in 2020, compared to more than a third in previous years.

This is mainly due to the appeal of performers such as ABBA and Adele to old fans who still love the format.

The BPI, which represents the music business, expressed confidence that the decline in demand for CDs is "bottoming out" after years of decline.

Despite severe manufacturing delays due to the pandemic, supply chain challenges and labor shortages, as well as the lack of raw materials such as PVC and paper products, the trend of vinyl resurgence persists in 2021.

It was also reported earlier this year that pre-orders for Adele's new album 30 had made vinyl factories around the world more congested, while her order for 500,000 records accounted for just 0.3 percent of this year's record production.

According to Tom Fisher, a record buyer at Rat Records records in south London, the pandemic has led to "fans' disillusionment with music as a cultural phenomenon, and if you can't go live to see your favorite band, you might buy a piece of their vinyl or t-shirt, which makes you feel satisfied, which digital music can't achieve."