Vinyl sales are at their highest for 25 years

The British Phonograph Industry (BPI) have released their official market report for 2016, and it reveals that vinyl sales are at their highest level for 25 years.

More than 3.2 million records were sold last year, which is an increase of 53% on 2015’s figures. The biggest selling vinyl record of last year was David Bowie’s ‘Blackstar’, followed by Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back to Black’ and the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ soundtrack. Bit of a mix there.

Vinyl still only accounts for 2.6% of the overall music market though, with the BPI also announcing that there were over 45 billion audio streams served last year, yet another increase of 68% from 2015. In December, more than a billion streams were served in a single week for the very first time. And that doesn’t even include streams on YoutTube.

Geoff Taylor, the Chief Executive BPI and BRIT Awards said: “Growth in UK music consumption in 2016 was fuelled by the explosive rise in audio streaming, which has increased 500 per cent since 2013, and relative resilience from physical formats.”

He continued: “We believe this performance is indicative of the promise of a new era for music, where recorded music’s investments in a digital future fuel compelling benefits for fans, artists and the entire music ecosystem.”

Find the full list of the Top 10 vinyl albums of 2016 below.

1. David Bowie - ‘Blackstar’
2. Amy Winehouse - ‘Back to Black’
3. Various Artists - ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Mix 1’
4. Radiohead - ‘A Moon Shaped Pool’
5. Fleetwood Mac - ‘Rumours’
6. The Stone Roses - ‘Stone Roses’
7. Bob Marley - ‘Legend’
8. The Beatles - ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’
9. Prince - ‘Purple Rain’
10. Nirvana - ‘Nevermind’