Vinyl outsells CDs in the UK for the first time in 35 years

Vinyl has overtaken CDs in sales for the first time in 35 years, according to figures released by Sky News.

2022 saw record sales reach £116.8 million which was almost 16% more than CDs at £98.3 million. The last time vinyl was more popular than CDs was back in 1988.

Read this next: Vinyl overtakes Playstation games as UK’s second biggest selling physical format

The most popular vinyl albums sold in 2022 were by Taylor Swift and Harry Styles which were sold around the £33 price bracket.

In a conversation with Sky News, West London’s Rough Trade manager, Chris Summers said that vinyl has become more popular because it is an “affordable luxury”.

He also said: “People will come in here and go ‘oh I’ll treat myself.'”

Read this next: Is the vinyl resurgence actually helping dance music?

Drew Hill behind vinyl distributor, Proper Distribution also spoke with Sky News: “I think we’ve got to stop thinking about music consumers being either digital or physical.”

“I think a lot of music fans do both. I think that they probably listened to a lot of music, via streaming platforms when they’re on the go and maybe when they’re at home or with their friends, then they want to play a record,”.

Meanwhile, in the US, a report found that in the first half of 2022 vinyl sales exceeded 19.4 million due to supermarket chains such as Walmart and Target stocking exclusive vinyl editions of new albums.

Becky Buckle is Mixmag’s Video and Editorial Assistant, follow her on Twitter