Photo Credit: James Sutton
Album success in 2022 is shared across the regions of the UK, while new album releases lead a predicted 15th successive annual uplift in vinyl LP sales, with eight of the year’s Top Ten sellers released in 2022.
Music talent is flourishing across the UK, with most of the year’s biggest-selling new albums across all formats released by artists from nearly every region. The Top 10 LPs of 2022, according to the analysis of Official Charts data by the BPI, feature eight titles released within the calendar year, including albums by Harry Styles, Arctic Monkeys, and Liam Gallagher — compared to only three in 2017.
While US singer-songwriter Taylor Swift led the charge in 2022’s vinyl albums market, most of the year’s biggest-selling new albums across all formats combined were by artists from nearly every nation and region in the UK. There were 30 different Number One albums by UK artists throughout the year, with 10 of the UK’s 12 regions being represented across a diverse range of genres.
Outside London, Northwest England was one of the most heavily-represented regions with five chart-topping albums in 2022, led by Cheshire-native Harry Styles. Styles’ third solo album, Harry’s House, spent six weeks at Number One, the longest chart-topping run of the year. Other Northwest England artists topping the charts this year include Liverpool band The Wombats (Fix Yourself, Not the World), Stockport group Blossoms (Ribbons Around the World), Manchester-native Liam Gallagher (C’mon You Know), and Cheshire band The 1975 (Being Funny in a Foreign Language).
Yorkshire and the Humber showed strong musical representation in 2022, with four artists from the region reaching Number One: Olly Alexander’s solo project Years & Years (Night Call), Yungblud (Yungblud), Louis Tomlinson (Faith in the Future), and Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott (N.K.Pop).
Official Albums Chart Number One in 2022 by UK Artists
- The Wombats – Fix Yourself, Not the World
- Years & Years – Night Call
- Don Broco – Amazing Things
- Bastille – Give Me the Future
- Frank Turner – FTHC
- Ed Sheeran – =
- Central Cee – 23
- Stereophonics – Oochya!
- Rex Orange County – Who Cares?
- Charli XCX – Crash
- Wet Leg – Wet Leg
- Digga D – Noughty By Nature
- Blossoms – Ribbon Around the Bomb
- Florence + The Machine – Dance Fever
- Harry Styles – Harry’s House
- Liam Gallagher – C’mon You Know
- George Ezra – Gold Rush Kid
- Paolo Nutini – Last Night in the Bittersweet
- Jamie T – The Theory of Whatever
- Kasabian – The Alchemist’s Euphoria
- Steps – Platinum Collection
- Muse – Will of the People
- Yungblud – Yungblud
- Robbie Williams – XXV
- Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott – N.K.Pop
- The 1975 – Being Funny in a Foreign Language
- Louis Tomlinson – Faith in the Future
- Stormzy – This is What I Mean
- Olly Murs – Marry Me
- Sam Ryder – There’s Nothing But Space, Man!
“It’s no surprise that most of the UK talent who reached Number One in 2022 are from outside London,” said SJM Concerts artist manager Conrad Murray, who represents artists like Blossoms, Paul Heaton, and Jacqui Abbott. “As a Manchester-based manager, it’s been evident for a long time that you don’t have to be in the capital to succeed — the artists I represent are a testament to that.”
“Blossoms started out a decade ago in Stockport, where they grew up, and have now scored three Number One albums, including Ribbon Around the Bomb,” Murray continues. “And since the first Housemartins LP back in the Eighties, tellingly called London 0 Hull 4, Paul Heaton has been living proof of the exceptional music talent that exists across the entire UK. All these years later, alongside his long-time collaborator Jacqui Abbott, he is still making brilliant Number One albums.”
Newly-released albums are claiming an increasingly more significant share of vinyl LP sales, with the year’s ten biggest sellers to date featuring eight titles released in 2022, according to analysis of Official Charts data by the BPI.
Taylor Swift’s Midnights ranked as the year’s most popular album on vinyl in the UK, on a list that included 2022 releases by Harry Styles (Harry’s House), Arctic Monkeys (The Car), Liam Gallagher (C’mon You Know), Wet Leg (Wet Leg), The 1975 (Being Funny in a Foreign Language), Fontaines D.C. (Skinty Fia), and Muse (Will of the People).
The sales of these 2022 albums contributed to a UK vinyl market expected to grow for the 15th successive year, reaching its highest volume level since 1990. The BPI will announce the final figures for vinyl LP sales in 2022 on January 4, 2023, as part of its Official 2022 UK Music Market Update. The update will also report on CD and cassette sales along with the total volume of audio streams for the year.
Such a high number of current albums among the year’s top sellers marks a further notable shift in the vinyl market, whose revival over the past 15 years has primarily been driven by catalog titles. Half of the ten biggest vinyl LPs of 2021 were albums released that calendar year, while five years ago, classic albums by artists like The Beatles, David Bowie, Pink Floyd, and Oasis dominated 2017’s Top Ten sellers. That year, new releases by Ed Sheeran, Liam Gallagher, and Rag’n’Bone Man were the only new titles to appear on the list.
“Vinyl’s revival has been one of the most welcome success stories of recent times,” said Geoff Taylor, Chief Executive BPI, BRIT Awards & Mercury Prize. “While initially this renaissance was built largely on older music fans reconnecting with treasured past albums and on younger generations newly discovering classic releases, increasingly the ongoing rise in LP sales has been driven by brand new releases.”
“A diverse and growing number of contemporary artists have recognized the enduring magic of this most beloved format, from global superstars such as Taylor Swift and Harry Styles to breakthrough UK talent including Wet Leg and Yard Act. As the LP marks its 75th anniversary in 2023, it’s as relevant as ever, highlighting that, in an age of streaming, physical music purchases remain an essential and healthy part of the music market.”
Official Vinyl Artist Albums Chart 2022
- Taylor Swift – Midnights
- Harry Styles – Harry’s House
- Arctic Monkeys – The Car
- Liam Gallagher – C’mon You Know
- Wet Leg – Wet Leg
- Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
- The 1975 – Being Funny in a Foreign Language
- Fontaines D.C. – Skinty Fia
- Arctic Monkeys – AM
- Muse – Will of the People 2022