Queen named ahead of The Beatles as vinyl's biggest sellers in 2019

Queen were the biggest vinyl artist of 2019 after selling more than 75,000 units, according to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

Their back catalogue of albums, including A Night At The Opera and News Of The World, was buoyed by the release of the film soundtrack to 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody.

The Beatles, whose famed Abbey Road album was reissued last year upon its 50th anniversary, took second, with vinyl sales boosted by the release of Danny Boyle’s Yesterday film.

Heritage acts David Bowie, Pink Floyd and Fleetwood Mac took third, fourth and fifth respectively.

Billie Eilish, the only new artist on the list, took seventh despite having only two titles available in the format – her Don’t Smile At Me EP and debut album.

Liam Gallagher’s Why Me? Why Not. claimed the title of most-purchased vinyl, selling more than 29,000 copies.

The top 10 titles included new releases by Eilish and Lewis Capaldi alongside classics such as Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures and Oasis’s 1994 debut Definitely Maybe.

The data was taken from the British Phonographic Industry’s yearbook study, titled All About The Music 2020.

Author Rob Crutchley, from the BPI, said: “The continuing growth in demand for albums on vinyl and even cassette – now boosted by a new generation of artists such as Billie Eilish and Lewis Capaldi alongside more established heritage acts such as Queen – underlines the enduring appeal of analogue alongside streaming and CD, and the fact there is still a strong core of fans who also value the opportunity to acquire, own or gift recorded music on physical format.

“CD also continues to make its presence felt in the Official Albums Chart, with physical formats accounting for the majority of consumption on most of the albums claiming the weekly number one spot in 2019.”

Vinyl album sales have now grown for 12 consecutive years, increasing by 4.1% in 2019, with more 4.3 million copies sold over the course of the year.

The BPI analysis was based on data published by the Official Charts Company.

Top selling vinyl artists of 2019