Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles.
One app.

Start reading

Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles. One news app.

Start reading

Wales Online

Entertainment

Rachel Hains

Record Store Day: The 15 best-selling records of all time

Record Store Day Elvis Presley

We all have a favourite album or song that left it's mark on us. Whether we play it on our way to work, in the shower, or even during our down time, music is a huge part of our daily lives.

For many of us, we now rely on streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube to listen to our favourite tunes, compared to the more traditional CD format, or even a cassette (if you're old enough to remember what that is). In fact, in March 2021, global music industry body the IFPI published its latest Global Music Report, which revealed that at the end of 2020 there were 443 million users of paid streaming subscriptions worldwide.

However, vinyl record sales are on the rise. Recent sales figures have shown that many music lovers are pulling back from the world of streaming and online music videos, opting for a different kind of listening experience. In 2020, vinyl records outsold CDs for the first time in decades - and while you might think it’s a nostalgic, more mature demographic behind the renaissance of records, surveys show it’s actually millennial consumers.

As Scott Hagen recently shared, when speaking to The Manual: "We just did a survey of more than 400 people, people between 18 and 70 years old, and asked them if they had a vinyl record player in the home, and more than 55 per cent said yes. But what was really interesting, is of those people who had a record player, more than 70 per cent said they had used it, had listened to a record within the last month.”

“But even more compelling for me,” Hagen added, “was that with the younger people 18 to 29, more than 60 per cent had a record player. And others were planning to get one.”

So, in honour of Record Store Day (yes, it's a real day), I've taken a look back at the 15 best-selling vinyl records of all time, including a range of titles from artists such as Elvis, The Beatles, and Fleetwood Mac.

At the end of 2020 there were 443 million users of paid streaming subscriptions worldwide (Getty)

What is Record Store Day?

Record Store Day is the one day of the year when more than 200 independent record shops all across the UK come together to celebrate their unique culture. Special vinyl releases are made exclusively for the day and many shops and cities host artist performances and events to mark the occasion.

Thousands more shops celebrate the day around the globe in what’s become one of the biggest annual events on the music calendar. Although there’s only one Record Store Day a year, many stores also work throughout the year to celebrate independent record stores by spotlighting exclusive releases, events and special news.