Taylor Swift helps UK music sales hit record high

The best-selling album in the UK was "The Tortured Poets Department" by American singer Taylor Swift, with 783,820 copies sold, including nearly 112,000 on vinyl.

American singer Taylor Swift. (Source: AFP)

In 2024, the UK recorded a record high in music sales, thanks to massive streaming and vinyl purchases of hits by top artists, especially Taylor Swift.

Revenue from music streaming services in the UK rose nearly 8% to around £2 billion ($2.5 billion) last year, according to the Digital Retail and Entertainment Association (ERA). Vinyl album sales rose 10.5% to £196 million ($241.7 million).

ERA chief executive Kim Bayley said 2024 was a banner year for the music industry, driven by the growth of streaming and vinyl, helping the industry hit all-time records in both value and volume.

She also said the strong recovery in music had helped sales double from their low point in 2013.

According to the charts, the best-selling album in the UK is "The Tortured Poets Department" by American singer Taylor Swift, with 783,820 copies sold, including nearly 112,000 vinyl records.

The best-selling single in the UK last year was "Stick Season" by American singer-songwriter Noah Kahan, with total sales of 2 million copies.

CD sales in the UK fell to just over £126 million ($155.3 million), while subscription sales on digital music platforms, which are set to become more important by 2024, played a key role in the growth of the entertainment market.

Despite this, many artists have expressed concerns about low royalties from streaming services, with leading music streaming platform Spotify facing a lawsuit in the US last year./.

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