UK Music Sales Hit Record High in 2024

Music fans in the UK spent more on recorded music in 2024 than ever before, driven by major releases from Taylor Swift, Coldplay, and Billie Eilish, as well as surging popularity in streaming and vinyl records.

According to new data from the Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA), consumer spending on music reached £2.4 billion last year, surpassing the previous peak of £2.2 billion set in 2001 during the heyday of CD sales.

Streaming subscriptions were the dominant force, accounting for nearly 85% of the total revenue. Services like Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Music continued to grow, reflecting a shift in how people access their favourite artists.

Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department was the year’s biggest-selling album, with 783,820 copies sold. On the singles front, Noah Kahan’s Stick Season led the charts, generating an impressive equivalent of 1.99 million sales.

Vinyl records also experienced a significant resurgence, with sales rising by 10.5%. A total of 6.7 million discs were sold, generating £196 million in revenue. Despite this growth, CDs maintained a slight edge in unit sales, with 10.5 million albums purchased compared to vinyl’s 6.7 million, though CD revenue held steady at £126.2 million.

Kim Bayley, the head of the ERA, hailed 2024 as a “banner year” for the music industry, “We can now say definitively – music is back,”

2024 was also milestone year for women on the UK charts, with female artists dominating the top 10 albums list with six entries and securing a total of 10 spots in the top 20. On the singles charts, women set a new record, surpassing 2023’s 31 weeks at Number 1 with an impressive 34-week streak in 2024.