Retro resurgence sparks revamped vinyl countdown

It’s the vinyl countdown — soaring sales of traditional singles and albums will now be tracked in their own separate chart.

An official vinyl chart has been launched that will track the popularity of the best-selling singles and albums every week.

Vinyl — which at one point looked close to extinction, in the face of CDs and streaming — has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years and last year saw vinyl LP sales reach a 20-year high in the UK at 1.29m.

The new chart launches today ahead of Record Store Day on Saturday.

Data from Britain’s Official Charts Company shows former Oasis star Noel Gallagher dominating vinyl sales in the first quarter of the year.

Gallagher and his band, The High Flying Birds, have the best-selling vinyl single in the first three months of the year with ‘Ballad Of The Mighty I’ and the best-selling album with Chasing Yesterday.

Martin Talbot, chief executive of the Official Charts Company, said: “With vinyl album sales up by almost 70% already this year, vinyl junkies could well have snapped up two million units by the end of this year — extraordinary, if you consider sales were a 10th of that six years ago.”

Gennaro Castaldo, from the British Phonographic Industry, said: “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.”

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