Music lovers have been getting in the groove during the pandemic – and buying record amounts of vinyl.
While the Covid crisis has been disastrous for live music, it has turned the tables on sales of old-fashioned LPs, which are now at their highest level since the early 1990s.
Industry experts say lockdown means fans can’t go to gigs – so they have more cash to spend.
Older, nostalgic music lovers are returning to the vinyl format of their youth.
Classics like Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, Oasis’s (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?, Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black and Nirvana’s Nevermind were the biggest-selling vinyl albums of 2020.
But new LPs, including Harry Styles’ Fine Line and Kylie Minogue’s Disco, were also high in the vinyl charts, as younger fans discovered the discs.
This year releases by Foo Fighters, Celeste, Maximo Park and Kings of Leon have helped to drive the surge in sales, which are already up 10% compared to the same period in 2020.
Latest figures show vinyl albums account for nearly one in five of music sales. Nearly five million were sold last year, generating £110million.
And the trend looks set to continue. Gennaro Castaldo, of the British Phonographic Industry, said: “The nation’s love affair with vinyl shows no sign of relenting – a passion that, if anything, has become stronger under lockdown.
“Vinyl is appealing to fans of all ages and backgrounds because it feels like the ultimate expression of the artist’s craft.”
