David Bowie's 'Blackstar' Revealed As Highest Selling Vinyl LP On Eve Of Record Store Day 2016

The vinyl revival is continuing apace ahead of Record Store Day this weekend, with data from the British music industry suggesting that sales of the old-fashioned format are on course to top three million by the end of 2016.

With the annual Record Store Day vinyl bonanza set for Saturday (April 16th), figures from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) released this week show that 640,000 vinyl LPs were bought in Britain between January and March this year. If this continues, sales should pass the 3 million mark by the end of 2016 – a huge jump on the 2.1 million from last year, itself representing a 21 year high.

Vinyl sales now account for £40 million in Britain’s £1 billion music industry, and with limited edition pressings from the likes of Florence & The Machine and Primal Scream being released tomorrow, that figure could well be going upwards again.

Ahead of the big day, the Official Charts Company also revealed that David Bowie’s Blackstar has been the highest-selling album on vinyl over the last 12 months, despite it only being released on January 8th. His 1972 classic Ziggy Stardust album and retrospective Nothing Has Changed compilation also feature in the top ten.

More: David Bowie dominates list of best-selling albums in 2016 so far

Geoff Taylor, the chief executive of the BPI and the BRIT Awards, commented about the much-vaunted revolution in record-buying: “Vinyl is no longer the preserve of baby-boomers who grew up with the format. It now also appeals to a new generation of engaged younger fans and millennials… …Younger fans increasingly discover on digital but collect on vinyl.”

“While digital platforms provide fans instant and unlimited access to an ever-expanding cosmos of music, they can’t quite match the unique experience vinyl gives you - browsing for rare gems in your favourite record store, poring over the cover art and sleeve notes and enjoying the ritual of carefully dropping the stylus onto an LP and savouring its analogue sound.”

However, recent figures from an ICM survey suggest that almost half of young music fans who buy vinyl either don’t play the records, or don’t actually own a turntable!

More: Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese’s ‘Vinyl’ to spin again for second season