Vinyl Sales Reach 25-Year High In The UK, Led By Bowie's 'Blackstar'

Vinyl sales have been climbing steadily over the world but in the UK, it has reached a 25-year high with 3.2 million albums purchased on vinyl in 2016.

As BBC reports, David Bowie's final offering, Blackstar, was the year's biggest seller, doubling the sales of 2015's biggest seller Adele with her record 25. Vinyl enjoyed a rise of 53% on 2015, though overall it still only accounts for 2.6% of the entire music market.

The top ten vinyl albums of 2016 in the UK were rounded out mostly by classics, with Amy Winehouse's Back To Black (#2), Guardians Of The Galaxy Mix 1 soundtrack (#3), Radiohead's A Moon Shaped Pool (#4), Fleetwood Mac's Rumours (#5), The Stone Roses' self-titled (#6), Bob Marley's Legend (#7), The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (#8), Prince's Purple Rain (#9) and Nirvana's Nevermind (#10).

In vinyl news closer to home, heavy music record label UNFD recently launched an exclusive vinyl club to reward dedicated vinyl-purchasers with exclusive pressings of their artists. The invite-only club was launched mid-December.