Sales of vinyl records in the United Kingdom have surged this year to hit the highest level since 1990 — with a little help from Taylor Swift. Vinyl sales have jumped 11.7% so far in 2023 to 5.9 million units, according to preliminary figures released Thursday by the British Phonographic Industry, an association of UK record companies and labels. That’s more than four times the increase in sales in 2022 and marks the 16th consecutive year of rising sales for the classic format, according to a BPI analysis of data from Official Charts, which tracks UK music sales and streams. Last week alone, the trade body said, consumers bought more than 250,000 vinyl albums, making it the biggest week of sales this century. In the United States, physical music sales during the first half of 2023 hit the highest level since 2013, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

Source: CNN December 28, 2023 21:52 UTC