US vinyl sales reach thirty-year high in 2021
With female artists topping the charts.
US vinyl sales have reached record highs in 2021, according to MRC Data.
Read more: US vinyl sales grew by 94% during first half of 2021
During 2021, 41.72 million vinyl LPs were sold – a 51.4% increase on the 27.55 million records sold in 2020. This marks vinyl’s highest US sales since MRC Data began tracking the format in 1991.
Vinyl now comprises 38.3% of all US album sales, as well as 50.4% of physical album sales, making it the first time vinyl LPs outsold CDs since 1991.
Female artists topped the US charts: Adele’s latest album, 30, was the best-selling LP of the year – with 318,000 LPs sold, while Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour came in second place – with LPs 268,000 sold, and Taylor Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version) came in third – with 260,000 LPs sold.
The format’s growth was also reflected globally; UK vinyl sales similarly reached record highs in 2021, with a total of 5.3 million records sold.
Check out the US’ top ten best-selling vinyl albums in 2021 below.
Top 10 best-selling vinyl albums in the US
2. Olivia Rodrigo,
3. Taylor Swift,
4. Harry Styles,
5. Billie Eilish,
6. Taylor Swift,
7. Prince & The Revolution,
8. The Beatles,
9. Taylor Swift,
10. Kendrick Lamar,
