Vinyl records remain a growing part of physical music even as streaming dominates recorded-music revenue. The figures below define the market by geography, period, format, unit sales, revenue, genre, and surveyed buyer behavior.
Key Vinyl Record Statistics
The most broadly useful vinyl record statistics are:
- In 2024, 43.6 million LP/EP units shipped in the United States according to RIAA’s estimated retail-shipment measure.
- In 2024, U.S. LP/EP retail value reached $1.4429 billion, net after returns.
- From 2023 to 2024, U.S. LP/EP shipments increased 1.0%, from 43.2 million to 43.6 million.
- From 2023 to 2024, U.S. LP/EP retail value increased 6.9%, from $1.3502 billion to $1.4429 billion.
- In 2024, U.S. vinyl albums outsold CDs in units, at about 44 million versus 33 million.
- In 2024, vinyl represented nearly three-quarters of U.S. physical-format revenue, an estimate covering vinyl, CD and other physical products.
- In 2024, global vinyl revenue increased 4.6%, while the figure measures trade revenue rather than consumer unit sales.
- In 2024, global physical-format revenue declined 3.1%, covering vinyl and other physical formats.
- In 2024, global recorded-music trade revenue reached $29.6 billion, up 4.8% across the whole market.
- In 2024, UK vinyl album sales reached 6.7 million units, based on the full 12-month year-end total.
- From 2023 to 2024, UK vinyl album sales rose 9.1%, from 6.1 million to 6.7 million.
- In 2024, UK vinyl album sales were the highest annual total in three decades, according to the Official Charts/BPI analysis.
- In 2024, UK physical album sales across vinyl, CD and cassette reached 17.4 million, up by 300,000 albums year over year.
- In 2024, Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department sold 111,937 UK vinyl copies.
- In 2024, Oasis’s Definitely Maybe surpassed 50,500 UK vinyl sales through its reissue performance.
- In 2023, rock held a 55.5% share of the UK vinyl market, based on BPI analysis of Official Charts classifications.
- In the BPI yearbook survey publication covering 2023/2024, 43.5% of recent UK vinyl buyers said vinyl was a good way to support artists and retailers.
- In 2024, U.S. total streaming revenue reached $14.8777 billion, compared with $2.0145 billion for all physical formats.
- In 2024, UK music-streaming revenue rose 7.8% to £2,018.4 million, a comparison measure rather than vinyl revenue.
Contents
- U.S. vinyl record sales and revenue statistics
- Global vinyl record revenue trends and physical-market context
- UK vinyl record sales growth and market scale
- Vinyl albums, artists and release-performance data
- Vinyl genres and buyer motivations
- Vinyl compared with CDs, streaming and downloads
U.S. Vinyl Record Sales and Revenue Statistics
RIAA reports U.S. LP/EP shipments and estimated retail value for 2024. These are retail-oriented measures, net after returns, and are distinct from global trade-revenue figures.
| U.S. LP/EP measure | 2023 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shipments | 43.2 million | 43.6 million | 1.0% |
| Estimated retail value | $1.3502 billion | $1.4429 billion | 6.9% |
Source: RIAA 2024 Year-End Revenue Statistics.
In 2024, vinyl albums outsold CDs in U.S. units for the third consecutive year. RIAA’s narrative rounds the detailed table to 44 million vinyl albums versus 33 million CDs, while the detailed shipment figures report 43.6 million LP/EP units and 32.9 million CD units.
- U.S. CD retail value was $541.1 million in 2024, compared with $1.4429 billion for LP/EP.
- Total U.S. physical music revenue was $2.0145 billion in 2024, up 5.4% year over year.
- Vinyl represented nearly three-quarters of U.S. physical-format revenue in 2024, an estimate that includes vinyl, CD and other physical products.
These values use RIAA’s estimated retail-dollar methodology, net after returns. Historical data may be updated, and formats without retail equivalents can be included at wholesale value.
Global Vinyl Record Revenue Trends and Physical-Market Context
IFPI’s global figures are trade revenues from its industry reporting system, so they should not be combined with RIAA retail values or Official Charts unit counts as if they were one dataset.
- Global vinyl revenue increased 4.6% in 2024.
- Global physical-format revenue declined 3.1% in 2024, after increasing 14.5% in 2023.
- Global recorded-music trade revenue reached $29.6 billion in 2024, up 4.8%; this covers the full recorded-music market, not vinyl alone.
- Streaming accounted for 69.0% of global recorded-music revenue in 2024, and global streaming revenue reached $20.4 billion.
- Paid subscription accounts grew 10.6% to 752 million globally in 2024, although accounts are not vinyl buyers or unique people.
- Asia accounted for 45.1% of global physical-format revenue in 2024.
- Asia’s recorded-music revenue grew 1.3% in 2024 while its physical revenue declined 4.9%; the regional total includes digital formats.
Source: IFPI: Amidst Highly Competitive Market, Global Recorded Music Revenues Grew 4.8% in 2024.
UK Vinyl Record Sales Growth and Market Scale
The UK measures below come from Official Charts and BPI analysis of album sales. The 2024 figure is a complete 12-month year-end total, while the 2023 comparison of 5.9 million LPs is through week 51 rather than a full calendar year.
| UK measure | Period | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl albums sold | 2024 | 6.7 million |
| Vinyl album growth | 2023–2024 | 9.1% |
| Physical albums, all formats | 2024 | 17.4 million |
| Vinyl LP growth | Through week 51, 2023 | 11.7% to 5.9 million |
Source: The Official best-selling vinyl albums and singles of 2024 and 2023 marks 16th consecutive year of UK vinyl sales growth.
The 2024 UK vinyl album total was the highest annual total in three decades. Physical album sales across vinyl, CD and cassette rose by 300,000 to 17.4 million, so the two totals describe different scopes: vinyl alone versus all listed physical album formats.
More than 250,000 vinyl albums were sold in the UK during the week before Christmas 2023. UK vinyl sales grew 2.9% in 2022, according to BPI’s annual comparison.
Vinyl Albums, Artists and Release-Performance Data
UK chart data shows that current releases, reissues and catalog albums all contributed to vinyl demand during the measured periods.
- Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department sold 111,937 UK vinyl copies in 2024; its opening overall chart total was 270,000 units, including 66,000 vinyl units.
- Oasis’s Definitely Maybe surpassed 50,500 UK vinyl sales in 2024 through its reissue performance.
- Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess sold 43,600 UK vinyl albums in 2024.
- Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet sold 42,900 UK LPs in 2024.
- Fontaines D.C.’s Romance sold 42,100 UK vinyl copies in 2024.
- Seven of the UK’s ten biggest vinyl albums in 2023 were new releases.
- Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) was the biggest UK vinyl seller reported through week 51 of 2023; this was a year-to-date ranking, not a complete final chart.
- Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours appeared in the UK vinyl year-end top 10 for the ninth consecutive time in 2024.
Source: The Official best-selling vinyl albums and singles of 2024 and 2023 marks 16th consecutive year of UK vinyl sales growth.
Vinyl Record Genres and Buyer Motivations
BPI’s 2023 genre shares use Official Charts classifications, while the buyer figures come from a survey of people who had bought vinyl in the prior year. The survey percentages should not be generalized to all UK adults or all music listeners.
| UK vinyl category or motivation | Period | Share or result |
|---|---|---|
| Rock market share | 2023 | 55.5% |
| Pop market share | 2022 | 19.6% |
| Pop market share | 2023 | 23.7% |
| Hip-hop/rap market share | 2023 | 5.3% |
| Support artists and retailers | Survey publication covering 2023/2024 | 43.5% |
| Favourite listening format | Survey publication covering 2023/2024 | 39.7% |
Source: BPI’s new Yearbook highlights breadth & vibrancy of British recorded music.
Among surveyed recent UK vinyl buyers, 30.5% said there were artists they tried to buy everything from on vinyl, and 22.2% had bought vinyl on National Album Day or Record Store Day.
Taylor Swift ranked first among BPI’s top 10 UK vinyl artists for 2023, followed by Lana Del Rey in second and Pink Floyd in third. These are artist ranks from BPI analysis of Official Charts data, not unit totals.
Vinyl Compared With CDs, Streaming and Downloads
Format comparisons clarify vinyl’s position without treating unlike measures as interchangeable. RIAA U.S. figures below are retail-value or shipment measures, while UK figures use album revenue and IFPI figures use global trade revenue.
| Comparison measure | Geography and period | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Total streaming revenue | United States, 2024 | $14.8777 billion |
| All physical-format revenue | United States, 2024 | $2.0145 billion |
| Paid-subscription revenue | United States, 2024 | $10.6870 billion, up 5.3% |
| Digital-download revenue | United States, 2024 | $369.7 million, down 14.9% |
| Vinyl album revenue | United Kingdom, 2024 | £196 million, up 10.5% |
| CD album revenue | United Kingdom, 2024 | £126.2 million, flat |
| Music-streaming revenue | United Kingdom, 2024 | £2,018.4 million, up 7.8% |
Sources: RIAA 2024 Year-End Revenue Statistics and The Official best-selling vinyl albums and singles of 2024.
U.S. download-single units fell 19.0%, from 150.7 million in 2023 to 122.1 million in 2024, while download-album units fell 17.7%, from 20.5 million to 16.8 million. U.S. ad-supported on-demand streaming revenue was $1.8319 billion in 2024, down 1.8%.
U.S. physical units rose 2.1%, from 77.1 million in 2023 to 78.7 million in 2024, but that total includes CD, LP/EP, music video and other physical products. In the UK, vinyl album revenue grew 10.5% to £196 million in 2024, versus £126.2 million for CD albums, which remained flat year over year.
ERA’s statement that vinyl contributed nearly 14% of UK recorded-music revenue in 2024 requires qualification: the surrounding context discusses physical channels collectively, so it should not be read as a precise vinyl-only percentage.