Vinyl album sales surpass Playstation games in the UK

by Patrick Kelly · September 13, 2022

Vinyl record sales continue to grow around the world and the success of the format just reached a new peak in the UK. A new study from the Entertainers Retailers Association (ERA) has officially revealed the sales of vinyl records hold the number 2 spot in the UK, recently surpassing Playstation games to take hold of the position.

The data falls in line with recent trends, including the announcement that vinyl record sales in the UK reached a 30 year high in 2021, passing the 5 million sales mark for the first time since 1991. Clearly this was no fluke as the numbers continue to grow in 2022, even as other physical formats lose market share and see declining sales year after year. Surpassing Playstation, which records games sold strictly for the Playstation 4 and 5 units, is largely due to the rate of increase in sales in the time period. Both Playstation games and vinyl records are seeing increased sales, but vinyl saw a 12.2% change, which is nearly double the 6.5% increase in physical sales of Playstation games. From a financial standpoint, the increased sales also reveal some interesting numbers. For Playstation 4 and 5 games, at this point last year, they have brought in £74.7, showcasing a modest increase, the revenue currently sits at £79.6 for the current year. Contrasted with vinyl records, the medium has brought in £80.9 so far this year, a more significant increase from the 2021 mark of £72.1 at this point in the year. This upward trend in record sales also comes in vast contrast to other music formats such as CD’s which have seen an 8.1% decrease in sales in 2022, for just £68.9 of revenue in 2022. Of course, the last piece of the puzzle is assessing what item holds the number 1 spot for physical formats and that honor belongs to Nintendo Switch. While Switch sales are still ahead of vinyl records, they took a major hit in recent months and have seen a 12.5% decrease in value over the period. The continued resurgence of vinyl certainly seems here to stay and ERA CEO Kim Bayley seems to agree, “Vinyl’s rise and rise seems unstoppable. For a 74-year-old analogue format to eclipse the digital-age technology of games platforms is quite extraordinary. Ten years into its long climb back to favour, the vinyl revival is most definitely here to stay.”

Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash