LPs have vinyl word as sales hit 3m mark
Sales of vinyl records have continued to rise and are at their highest since the 1990s, according to industry experts.
That means a busy year for traders like Russ Hunt, who runs White Rabbit Records in Shrewsbury Market.
"There has definitely been a resurgence in the sales of vinyl in the past 18 months. Vinyl has never gone away for many people," he said.
Vinyl records enjoyed a renaissance in 2016, with sales jumping to their highest level in 25 years.
More than 3.2 million LPs were sold last year, a rise of 53 per cent on 2015 and the highest annual total since 1991.
David Bowie's untimely death led to him becoming the best-selling vinyl artist of 2016, with five albums posthumously featuring in the top 30. His Blackstar album was the most popular-selling album of the year.
It marks the ninth consecutive year that vinyl sales have grown. In 2007 just 200,000 LPs were sold but they are increasingly available with supermarkets beginning to stock them again and more specialist shops opening.
The top 10 vinyl LPs of the year are dominated with classic albums. Some, like Bob Marley's Legend and Nirvana's Nevermind, have sold well at Sainsbury's, which has placed them on display alongside record players that shoppers can purchase for around £60.
Russ said the demand for vinyl is being fed both by people rediscovering classic albums but also through the willingness of new acts to embrace the medium as well as the ongoing use of records by club DJs.
He said: "It is not so much that people are in to retro music, new and upcoming bands are wanting to release their music on to vinyl, and it is no surprise that David Bowie was the biggest-selling artist of the year.
"Everyone wants his music in whatever format. There are new issues of older music on to vinyl because the demand is there. It is more to do with quality and the experience of listening to vinyl.
"Some people are put off by the crackles and pops you get but that is part of its charm. The popularity is also down to owning something tangible. Downloads may be hugely popular but you don't actually own the music."
LPs now account for nearly five per cent of the albums market, according to the British Phonographic Industry. At least 30 titles sold more than 10,000 copies in 2016, compared with just 10 the year before. The total volume of music consumed in 2016 was worth an estimated £1 billion. Streaming services have also rocketed 500 per cent since 2013.
In 2016 there were 45 billion audio streams, equating to more than 1,500 streams for every single household in the UK.
December saw the milestone of one billion audio streams in a single week for the first time. Streaming is the format of choice for many music fans, with it now accounting for more than a third of all UK music consumption.
Geoff Taylor, chief executive of BPI, said: "Led by sales of David Bowie, demand for vinyl jumped to levels not seen since the start of the 90s.
"We believe this performance is indicative of the promise of a new era for music.
"One where recorded music's investments in a digital future fuel compelling benefits for fans, artists and the entire music ecosystem."