Taylor Swift's album release helps boost vinyl sales to highest in three decades during Record Store Day

Vinyl album sales reached their highest weekly total in three decades, driven by the combined impact of Record Store Day on April 20 and the release of Taylor Swift's new album 'The Tortured Poets Department'.

According to data from the Official Charts Company analyzed by the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), a total of 306,791 vinyl albums and singles were sold in chart week 17. This marks the highest weekly vinyl sales figure since current statistics began tracking in 1994.

Sales of vinyl copies of 'The Tortured Poets Department' accounted for nearly 25% of the week's vinyl album sales, with many purchased through independent record stores. Additionally, vinyl albums exclusive to indie shops as part of Record Store Day made up an estimated 37.2% of the vinyl market that week.

'Taylor Swift has long been a supporter of indie record stores and served as Record Store Day's global ambassador in 2022,' said Kim Bayley, CEO of ERA. 'Her support has undoubtedly helped drive even more younger fans to indie record shops.'

Bayley noted it was fitting that Swift and Record Store Day combined to achieve this sales milestone, stating: 'Indie record shops were first to realize that the growth of streaming would paradoxically provide an opportunity for the most physical of physical formats, and vinyl has sat at the heart of Record Store Day's celebration of indie record shop culture since 2008.'

2023 marked the 16th consecutive year of growth for vinyl album sales. Four of the Top 10 biggest vinyl sales weeks over the past 30 years have occurred in just the last 12 months.