Vinyl Sales at Their Highest in 10 Years

Vinyl record sales are at their highest levels in a decade in the UK. They’ve doubled over the past year to a record 550,000 thanks to big hit LPs from Daft Punk and the Arctic Monkeys, according to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

That total could be set to grow by another 150,000 sales with major new LPs from Pearl Jam and Arcade Fire on the horizon in the lead up to christmas.

“We’re witnessing a renaissance for records,” said Geoff Taylor who is head of the BPI (via the FT). “They’re no longer retromania and are becoming the format of choice for more and more music fans.” Despite its magnificent growth, vinyl remains a niche market compared to CDs and digital music sales, at only 0.8 percent of UK album sales.

Still, it’s seen great growth considering that it was only 0.1 percent in 2007. The boost is aided by one attractive modern feature: an MP3 download code so the vinyl fans can also take their new album in their pocket when they’re away from home. A poll by the BPI found the 90 percent of respondents called vinyl their favorite music format.