Official Charts Company resurrects vinyl charts amid UK sale resurgence
Vinyl’s back - and on the back of impressive sales the Official Charts Company (OCC) has unveiled two new charts to celebrate which artists are dominating the format which is leading the way in UK physical sales.
The OOC has released the Vinyl Albums Chart Top 40 and the Singles Chart Top 40 to document which releases are selling the best.
While this week’s top ten albums features mostly contemporary artists such as All Time Low, Drenge, Sufjan Stevens, Turbowolf and the Prodigy, 2015 quarter one sales are dominated by a refreshing mix of newer and classic acts:
1. Chasing Yesterday - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
2. Physical Graffiti - Led Zeppelin
3. AM - Arctic Monkeys
4. Royal Blood - Royal Blood
5. The Race for Space - Public Service Broadcasting
6. Shadows In The Night - Bob Dylan
7. The Dark Side Of The Moon - Pink Floyd
8. Lost In The Dream War - The War on Drugs
9. Happy People - Peace
10. Led Zeppelin IV - Led Zeppelin
Martin Talbot, chief executive of the Official Charts Company, said: "We're delighted to launch the UK's first Official Vinyl Albums and Official Vinyl Singles charts on OfficialCharts.com, to coincide with Record Store Day this coming weekend.
“With vinyl album sales up by almost 70 per cent already this year, vinyl junkies could well have snapped up two million units by the end of this year - an extraordinary number, if you consider sales were one-tenth of that just six years ago.”
Talbot concluded: “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."
Gennaro Castaldo, from industry body The BPI, said: "With sales of vinyl albums at their highest level since the heady days of Britpop and growing, the introduction of an Official Vinyl Chart at this time makes perfect sense.
“The chart will not only help us to better understand which artists and type of music are driving this resurgence, but will also help guide a new generation of younger, but emotionally-engaged, fans as they contemplate the vinyl delights that await them."
The news follows vinyl sales hitting a two decade high last year – an impressive feat considering the damning rise of music piracy within that period. Just in January, HMV announced that vinyl sales helped it surpass Amazon and take the UK physical music sales top spot.