In a surprising turn of events, physical music sales are on the rise for the first time in two decades. Despite being overshadowed by music streaming, physical album sales have experienced a 3.2% increase in the first half of 2024, with 8,044,760 units sold, according to the Official Charts Company and BPI. This marks the first time the sector has seen an increase since 2004 when digital music consumption and streaming began. Taylor Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ has contributed significantly to this rise in sales, selling 254,241 copies in the first half of 2024.
In addition to Swift’s album, other records in the top five for most physical sales were ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ by Billie Eilish, selling 45,434 copies, ‘Prelude To Ecstasy’ by The Last Dinner Party (42,352 copies), and a self-titled album from Liam Gallagher and John Squire (46,982 copies). Rod Stewart and Jools Holland came in second to Swift, selling 48,540 copies of their collaborative album ‘Swing Fever.’
Vinyl sales have also been on the rise this year. In April, there were the highest weekly total sales of vinyl records in three decades, thanks to Record Store Day and the release of ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ in the same week. The Official Charts Company data showed that the two events resulted in 269,134 vinyl albums and 37,656 vinyl singles sales – making for a total of 306,791 units.
With artists now releasing new variants of their physical albums, this upward trend has caused increased concern regarding the environment’s greater impact. Earlier this year, Billie Eilish criticized artists who released multiple vinyl formats to boost sales, calling the practice “wasteful.”
Despite environmental concerns, the BPI’s analysis reports that the “ever-rising demand for vinyl albums and other music releases on physical format” reflects a “thriving market for music on the high street”. This popularity has also benefitted independent record stores, which have seen a significant rise, and shops like HMV, which reopened its flagship store on London’s Oxford Street last year. The movement has also seen iconic UK music store Our Price relaunch, 20 years after it was forced to close its doors
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