More than 14m CDs were sold last year, with a significant double-digit percentage annual fall expected when official figures for 2022 come in next week.
“Will the CD disappear? Of course its prospects don’t look good right now, but it offers a permanence and robustness and quality which is unique,” says Bayley. “Given how wrong we were about vinyl, it would be foolish to write off the CD for ever.”
While LP sales will continue to rise to a more than four-decade high in 2022, music fans appear to finally be reaching “peak vinyl” with figures expected to show growth in unit sales slowing to just a few percentage points year on year.
“As the LP marks its 75th anniversary in 2023, it’s as relevant as ever,” says Geoff Taylor, the chief executive of music industry trade body the BPI. “In an age of streaming, physical music purchases remain an essential and healthy part of the music market.”
Cassette sales, which hit 185,000 last year, are expected to be up year on year as the format continues to experience its own mini revival.
Top 10 bestselling vinyl albums of 2022
1. Midnights – Taylor Swift
2. Harry’s House – Harry Styles
3. The Car – Arctic Monkeys
4. C’mon You Know – Liam Gallagher
5. Wet Leg – Wet Leg
6. Will of the People – Muse
7. Rumours – Fleetwood Mac
8. Skinny Fia – Fontaines DC
9. Being Funny in A Foreign Language – 1975
10. AM – Arctic Monkeys
Source: Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA)
