Vinyl Sales 2022: Here are the top selling records of the year as vinyl sales overtake CDs - including Taylor Swift
Last year saw over 5.5 million albums sold on vinyl – a format once thought to have been killed by technology.
For the first time in 35 years, traditional vinyl records have outsold the compact disc – the format designed to replace them – according to figures from the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA).
Taylor Swift led the charge, selling 80,000 copies of her new album ‘Midnights’, aided by releasing it on a range of differently coloured vinyls.
Kim Bayley, ERA chief executive said: “It’s a watershed moment for the entire music industry. After the CD came along and pretty much wiped out the vinyl business, few of us would have believed a renaissance like this was possible.”
The top 10 best sellers were a mix of the classic and the contemporary – with 45 years separating the oldest from the newest.
Here’s what made the chart.
Kim Bayley, ERA chief executive said: “It’s a watershed moment for the entire music industry. After the CD came along and pretty much wiped out the vinyl business, few of us would have believed a renaissance like this was possible.”
5. Wet Leg - Wet Leg
Isle of Wight duo Wet Leg had one of the most talked about singles of 2021 with 'Chaise Longue' and repeated the trick with their eponymous debut album. They complete the top five best sellers in the 2022 vinyl charts. Photo: Contributed
6. Will of the People – Muse
Known for their technically complex live shows, Muse's 2022 album 'Will of the People' became the band's seventh consecutive UK number one album - and sixth best selling vinyl of the entire year. Photo: Contributed
7. Rumours – Fleetwood Mac
It may have been released back in 1977, but that didn't stop Fleetwood Mac's seminal album 'Rumours' from crashing the UK vinyl top 10 in 2022. Photo: Contributed
8. Skinty Fia – Fontaines DC
Irish rock band Fontaines DC's third album 'Skinty Fia' was named after an old Irish saying that loosely translates as "the damnation of the deer". It hit the top spot on both sides of the Irish Sea and ranked eighth in the biggest vinyl sellers of the year. Photo: Contributed