According to the UK’s official charts, only one album in the top 10 selling vinyl records over the last decade features new music. That record is Arctic Monkeys 2013 album, AM, coming in at number 7 on the list. Sitting around this is a plethora of reissues and compilations including many classic albums such as The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Nirvana’s Nevermind, and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. Rumours is sitting pretty in the number 1 slot on 130,000 sales.
This sounds pretty astounding, but when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Record companies are more than happy to make a quick buck by re-releasing popular albums from their back catalogues, and since the vinyl resurgence, new converts to the format won’t have these classic albums on vinyl and will be instantly drawn to them to increase their collection. Vinyl enthusiasts who have been collecting for years are also tempted by reissues for the alternate mastering, added bonus tracks and collecting different version of a specific record.
If we’re looking at the top 50 selling vinyl records of the last decade, the number of new music releases only increases to 12, now including the likes of Ed Sheeran’s Divide at number 14 and David Bowie’s Black Star at 15.
With people, at present, seemingly collecting classics on new vinyl rather than buying new music, it’s going to be interesting to see if this trend continues or peters out as people finish off their back catalogues. Let’s hope that over the next decade, new music gets more of a chance to shine on the format.
You can check out the full top 50 selling vinyl records of the last decade below.
1 RUMOURS – FLEETWOOD MAC
2 BACK TO BLACK – AMY WINEHOUSE
3 THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON – PINK FLOYD
4 GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY – AWESOME MIX 1
5 THE STONE ROSES – STONE ROSES
6 AM – ARCTIC MONKEYS
7 WHAT’S THE STORY MORNING GLORY – OASIS
8 SGT PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND – BEATLES
9 NEVERMIND – NIRVANA
10 LEGEND – BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS
11 GREATEST HITS – QUEEN
12 ABBEY ROAD – BEATLES
13 DEFINITELY MAYBE – OASIS
14 DIVIDE – ED SHEERAN
15 BLACKSTAR – DAVID BOWIE
16 UNPLUGGED IN NEW YORK – NIRVANA
17 LEGACY – DAVID BOWIE
18 WHATEVER PEOPLE SAY I AM THAT’S WHAT I’M NOT – ARCTIC MONKEYS
19 FOUR SYMBOLS – LED ZEPPELIN
20 PURPLE RAIN – PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION
21 PULP FICTION – ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
22 AS YOU WERE – LIAM GALLAGHER
23 THE QUEEN IS DEAD – SMITHS
24 25 – ADELE
25 HATFUL OF HOLLOW – SMITHS
26 THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST – DAVID BOWIE
27 WISH YOU WERE HERE – PINK FLOYD
28 THE GREATEST SHOWMAN – MOTION PICTURE CAST RECORDING
29 APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION – GUNS N’ ROSES
30 UNKNOWN PLEASURES – JOY DIVISION
31 TRANQUILITY BASE HOTEL & CASINO – ARCTIC MONKEYS
32 GREATEST HITS – FLEETWOOD MAC
33 ROYAL BLOOD – ROYAL BLOOD
34 HOTEL CALIFORNIA – EAGLES
35 HUMAN – RAG’N’BONE MAN
36 THE WALL – PINK FLOYD
37 GREATEST HITS – FOO FIGHTERS
38 X – ED SHEERAN
39 OK COMPUTER – RADIOHEAD
40 A MOON SHAPED POOL – RADIOHEAD
41 ALL OVER THE WORLD – ELO
42 LED ZEPPELIN – LED ZEPPELIN
43 HUNKY DORY – DAVID BOWIE
44 THE BEATLES – BEATLES
45 GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY – AWESOME MIX 2
46 LED ZEPPELIN 2 – LED ZEPPELIN
47 WHO BUILT THE MOON – NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING
48 LONDON CALLING – CLASH
49 HOT FUSS – KILLERS
50 BACK IN BLACK – AC/DC
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