The good news first: for the 16th consecutive time, vinyl record sales in the UK have increased compared to the previous year. In total, nearly 6 million copies were sold, reflecting an 11.8% increase over 2022 – reaching the highest point since 1990.
This year, one could almost speak of the Taylor Swift charts instead of the vinyl charts. Eight of the best-selling vinyl records belong to the singer, constituting every fifth position in the Top 40! Among them is the best-selling record of the year with nearly 85,000 copies sold: „1989 (Taylor’s Version).“
In the top 10, two more albums by Taylor Swift follow, while classics like ‚Rumours‘ by Fleetwood Mac and ‚Dark Side Of The Moon‘ by Pink Floyd also make their presence, essential for any well-curated record collection. Gold and silver go to the Rolling Stones and Lana Del Rey. The remaining Top 10 includes the latest albums from Blur, Olivia Rodrigo and Lewis Capaldi.
The UK Vinyl Top 40 in 2023:
| 1 | 1989 (TAYLOR’S VERSION) | TAYLOR SWIFT |
| 2 | HACKNEY DIAMONDS | ROLLING STONES |
| 3 | DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE’S A TUNNEL UNDER | LANA DEL REY |
| 4 | SPEAK NOW (TAYLOR’S VERSION) | TAYLOR SWIFT |
| 5 | RUMOURS | FLEETWOOD MAC |
| 6 | THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON | PINK FLOYD |
| 7 | THE BALLAD OF DARREN | BLUR |
| 8 | MIDNIGHTS | TAYLOR SWIFT |
| 9 | GUTS | OLIVIA RODRIGO |
| 10 | BROKEN BY DESIRE TO BE HEAVENLY SENT | LEWIS CAPALDI |
| 11 | TENSION | KYLIE MINOGUE |
| 12 | AM | ARCTIC MONKEYS |
| 13 | THE MASTERPLAN | OASIS |
| 14 | THE RECORD | BOYGENIUS |
| 15 | COUNCIL SKIES | NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING |
| 16 | HARRY’S HOUSE | HARRY STYLES |
| 17 | BUT HERE WE ARE | FOO FIGHTERS |
| 18 | CRACKER ISLAND | GORILLAZ |
| 19 | BACK TO BLACK | AMY WINEHOUSE |
| 20 | LOVER | TAYLOR SWIFT |
| 21 | FOLKLORE | TAYLOR SWIFT |
| 22 | ST JUDE | COURTEENERS |
| 23 | 3 FEET HIGH AND RISING | DE LA SOUL |
| 24 | THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON – LIVE AT | PINK FLOYD |
| 25 | GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY – AWESOME MIX 1 | ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK |
| 26 | WHAT’S THE STORY MORNING GLORY | OASIS |
| 27 | REPUTATION | TAYLOR SWIFT |
| 28 | THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST | DAVID BOWIE |
| 29 | LEGEND | BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS |
| 30 | THE 1975 | THE 1975 |
| 31 | THE QUEEN IS DEAD | SMITHS |
| 32 | ULTRAVIOLENCE | LANA DEL REY |
| 33 | BARBIE THE ALBUM | ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK |
| 34 | ONE MORE TIME | BLINK 182 |
| 35 | WHATEVER PEOPLE SAY I AM THAT’S WHAT I’M | ARCTIC MONKEYS |
| 36 | BORN TO DIE | LANA DEL REY |
| 37 | EVERMORE | TAYLOR SWIFT |
| 38 | FOLKLORE – THE LONG POND STUDIO SESSIONS | TAYLOR SWIFT |
| 39 | NEVERMIND | NIRVANA |
| 40 | – | ED SHEERAN |
The Fab Four dominate UK Singles Charts
Given the hype generated by the surprising release of the first Beatles song in half an eternity, it’s not surprising that the 7″ single leads the sales charts in the UK. A total of 33,000 copies were sold of the single, available not only in various colors but also as a 12″ format. It is the fastest-selling single of this century. The releases of Boygenius and Aphex Twin at positions 2 and 3 couldn’t come close. The Sex Pistols are represented three times in the 7″ charts, perhaps influenced by the release of the series ‚Pistol‘ by Trainspotting director Danny Boyle (highly recommended!).
The UK Top 20 Singles Charts:
| 1 | NOW AND THEN | BEATLES |
| 2 | THE REST | BOYGENIUS |
| 3 | BLACKBOX LIFE RECORDER 21F | APHEX TWIN |
| 4 | ANGRY | ROLLING STONES |
| 5 | ANARCHY IN THE UK | SEX PISTOLS |
| 6 | HOLIDAYS IN THE SUN | SEX PISTOLS |
| 7 | SAY YES TO HEAVEN | LANA DEL REY |
| 8 | LAST CHRISTMAS | WHAM |
| 9 | PRETTY VACANT | SEX PISTOLS |
| 10 | FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK | POGUES FT KIRSTY MACCOLL |
| 11 | WILD GREY OCEAN | SAM FENDER |
| 12 | STEP INTO CHRISTMAS | ELTON JOHN |
| 13 | BLUE MONDAY | NEW ORDER |
| 14 | BREATHE | PRODIGY |
| 15 | WEST END GIRLS | SLEAFORD MODS |
| 16 | THE VOID STARES BACK | ENTER SHIKARI & WARGASM |
| 17 | CAN’T CATCH ME NOW | OLIVIA RODRIGO |
| 19 | HOLD ON TO NOW | KYLIE MINOGUE |
| 18 | PADAM PADAM | KYLIE MINOGUE |
| 20 | SWEET SOUNDS OF HEAVEN | ROLLING STONES/GAGA/WONDER |
Streaming dominates, but cassettes are on the rise
The popularity of cassettes continues to rise, although on a much lower level than vinyl records. Last year, almost 136,000 cassettes were sold in the UK. Olivia Rodrigo’s latest album performed the best in cassette sales. The question arises here, though, how many fans actually have a cassette player or simply buy the tape as a fan object.
On the contrary, CD sales continue to decline, although the decrease of just under 7% is the lowest since 2015. Nevertheless, with over 10 million copies sold, CDs remain the most successful format in overall sales.
It is not surprising that music consumption continues to be dominated by streaming. In 2023, 179.6 billion audio streams were accumulated, which set another all-time record.