Weekly vinyl chart launches in UK

Appositely launched at the beginning of Record Store Day week, the UK’s Official Charts Company has introduced weekly charts, which for the first time ever, chart sales of vinyl singles and albums.

The OCC’s announcement reflects the UK’s refreshed interest in vinyl; in 2014 vinyl sales reached over the 1 million mark (1.28m) for the first time in the UK since the height of the Britpop era in 1996, which sales reached 1.41m. The OCC, which is owned by label body the BPI and retail trade group ERA, said Q1 results for 2015 sees the trend continue with vinyl album purchasing up 69% versus the same period in 2014, and vinyl singles also up 23%.

Martin Talbot, Chief Executive, Official Charts Company said in a statement: “With vinyl album sales up by almost 70% already this year, vinyl junkies could well have snapped up 2 million units by the end of this year – an extraordinary number, if you consider sales were one-tenth of that just six years ago. This growth underlines the continuing resurgence of this much-loved format, whether you’re a fan of Arctic Monkeys, Noel Gallagher, Led Zeppelin or David Bowie.”

The inaugural Official Vinyl Albums Chart Top 40 and Official Vinyl Singles Chart Top 40 features All Time Low’s LP Future Hearts at the top of the Vinyl Albums chart (#4 on the ARIA chart) and Underworld vs Heller & Farley’s Baby Wants To Ride (Smith Hyde Productions) on the Vinyl Singles chart.

While figures released by local label body ARIA show in 2014 revenue from vinyl record sales jumped by 127% within 12 months, the report gave credit to Australian retailers for the jump. With sales of only 277,767units last year, vinyl sales make up less than 2% of the Australian recorded music market.

Unlike the UK, vinyl sales in Australia don’t reflect the Top 40, and cover all genres. MusicShop.com.au’s top vinyl sellers last year did include ARIA Album chart toppers Chet Faker, Jack White and Beck, but also classics like Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue and The Beatles’ Abbey Road.