Vinyl sales in the UK have hit a new stride, and leading the charge is none other than Taylor Swift. According to data released by the Official Charts Company ahead of Record Store Day 2025, Swift’s 2022 album Midnights has sold more vinyl copies than any other new release in the last decade, with 129,000 copies sold.
This isn’t a one-off win. Swift has three albums in the top four best-selling new vinyls from the past ten years and Midnights at number one, The Tortured Poets Department close behind, and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) also making the cut. She has comfortably outpaced major artists like Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, David Bowie, and Ed Sheeran.
Midnights tops the UK vinyl charts as Taylor Swift drives a new wave of record-buying among fans Youtube
The popularity of vinyl itself is also seeing a dramatic comeback. In 2024 alone, 6.7 million records were sold in the UK, nearly five times more than in 1994. Although new releases are making waves, industry insiders note that most vinyl sales still come from older catalogue albums that don’t appear on this list.
Record Store Day, now in its 18th year, continues to play a key role in celebrating the format. On April 12, over 270 independent record shops across the UK will take part, hosting special events and releasing exclusive vinyls.
This year, there's also a spotlight on record store culture with a 12-part YouTube series titled Behind The Counter. Each episode, dropping every Tuesday in the run-up to Record Store Day, brings out the people and stories behind beloved indie music shops.
Midnights (The Til Dawn Edition)youtube.com
Meanwhile, sustainability is also getting attention. A new recycling initiative, supported by UK indie shops and led by Key Production Group, is collecting damaged or unwanted vinyl and CDs. These are typically made from plastics that can take centuries to decompose, so the scheme is a step towards reducing the format’s environmental footprint.
With vinyl clearly thriving and Taylor Swift at its forefront, it’s evident that fans aren’t just streaming but they’re collecting. Swift's presence across the decade's top vinyls is a sign of how physical music continues to matter in the digital era.
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