Over 4 million vinyl albums expected to be sold in the UK this year

The highest since the ’80s. 

UK vinyl album sales are expected to surpass 4,000,000 in 2017, reports The Guardian.

Read more: The birth of a record: A visual tour around the Vinyl Factory’s pressing plant

HMV, who account for a third of vinyl sales in the UK, is predicting sales of over 1.5 million – a 31% increase in sales from last year.

“A strong year for new releases from artists such as Ed Sheeran and Rag’n’Bone Man has been followed up with a really strong back end,” shares Music Manager at HMV John First.

“Sales also continue to soar across our back catalogue, perhaps as people use streaming as a discovery tool alongside wanting to browse and collect physical music formats.”

Predicted HMV Top 5 highest selling LPs in the UK for 2017:

1. Ed Sheeran – Divide
2. Liam Gallagher – As You Were
3. Noel Gallagher – Who Built The Moon? 
4. Amy Winehouse – Back to Black
5. Rag’n’Bone Man – Human

Though pressing plants have opened up across the world over the past year, supply is still struggling to match the ever-growing vinyl demand, with companies like supermarket chain Sainsbury’s launching their own record labels.