Cassette and vinyl sales in the UK continued to see huge increases in 2021

The BPI (British Phonographic Industry) is the organisation and trade association behind the recorded music industry in the United Kingdom. Recently the company revealed in a report how the country has been consuming its musical media, with a massive 2.5% in UK music consumption, it comes as no surprise that streaming and digital sales are dominating the way we listen to music. Surprisingly it’s cassette and vinyl sales that are taking centre stage in the report for 2021, both seeing high increases in sales.

Whether it’s down to the older generation striving for a nostalgia hit, or the younger generation wanting to listen in a brand new way, there’s no denying the explosion of popularity in recent years for cassette tapes and vinyl. Vinyl see sales reach their highest point in over three decades, jumping from 11% from 2020 to well over 5 million vinyl purchases made in the year, marking the 14th consecutive year of rise in sales. Similarly, cassettes reach their highest all-time sales since 2003, growing by a massive 19% to a total of 185,000 sales. Drew Hill from MD Proper Music Distribution discusses these numbers in the report when he states:

“It’s been an incredible year for CDs, vinyl and cassettes as they continued to drive albums up the charts. This year, nearly 90% of unique #1 albums hit the top spot off the back of a physical sales majority, – It’s further proof that in this golden era of choice, music fans really cherish an album they can hold!“

The UK isn’t the only country seeing a resurgence in the media, as it was recently revealed vinyl sales reached an all-time high in America in the latest MRC Data report. You can find more information on how the United Kingdom consumes its musical media by checking out the full BPI report here.

Image Credit: Press