Vinyl and CD music sales in the United Kingdom surged by 7.9% to £164 million ($213 million) in the first half of 2024. This boost is largely thanks to Taylor Swift’s immense popularity, as reported by the Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA).
Swift’s eleventh studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” released in April, has become her fastest-selling album in the UK. It sold 270,000 units across all formats in its first week, according to Official Charts Company (OCC) data. The album has spent eight non-consecutive weeks at No. 1, surpassing her previous record with 2022’s “Midnights.” So far, “The Tortured Poets Department” has sold 542,000 units in the UK, with nearly half (251,000) being physical format purchases, and around 20,000 in digital downloads.
The second best-selling album this year is The Weeknd’s “Highlights,” with 220,000 units sold.
Swift also had the top-selling physical single of the half-year period. Her song “Fortnight,” featuring Post Malone, sold over 16,500 copies on CD and topped the UK singles chart for a week in May.
Overall, Swift had six of the Top 20 best-selling albums across all formats in the UK during this period. Her albums “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” “Lover,” “Midnights,” and “Folklore” were all fan favorites.
Swift’s success has significantly contributed to the growth in physical format and download music sales, which reached £164 million ($213 million) in the UK in the first half of 2024. This is a 7.9% increase from the previous year. ERA CEO Kim Bayley also credited April’s Record Store Day for boosting retailers’ revenues.
The ERA report noted that vinyl album sales were up 13.5% year-on-year to over £86 million ($111 million), while CD sales increased by 3.2% to £58 million ($75 million). In total, 8.5 million physical albums were sold in the UK during this period.
Physical format and download music sales grew faster than video sales, which include DVD and Blu-ray sales, video downloads, and digital rentals. Video sales totaled £214 million ($277 million), a 5.4% year-on-year increase. Music sales also outpaced the video game market, which fell by nearly 30% to just under £350 million ($454 million) due to a slow release schedule.
The UK is the world’s third-largest music market, behind the United States and Japan, with sales of $1.9 billion in 2023, according to IFPI.
