The highest since the ’80s.
UK vinyl album sales are expected to surpass 4,000,000 in 2017, reports The Guardian.
Read more: The birth of a record: A visual tour around the Vinyl Factory’s pressing plant
HMV, who account for a third of vinyl sales in the UK, is predicting sales of over 1.5 million – a 31% increase in sales from last year.
“A strong year for new releases from artists such as Ed Sheeran and Rag’n’Bone Man has been followed up with a really strong back end,” shares Music Manager at HMV John First.
“Sales also continue to soar across our back catalogue, perhaps as people use streaming as a discovery tool alongside wanting to browse and collect physical music formats.”
Predicted HMV Top 5 highest selling LPs in the UK for 2017:
2. Liam Gallagher –
3. Noel Gallagher –
4. Amy Winehouse –
5. Rag’n’Bone Man –
Though pressing plants have opened up across the world over the past year, supply is still struggling to match the ever-growing vinyl demand, with companies like supermarket chain Sainsbury’s launching their own record labels.