SOUNDS like some kind of record – this weekend marks ten years of the Official Vinyl Chart.
The weekly countdown was launched in 2015 by the Official Charts Company as sales of vinyl records boomed.

5

5
And the retro format’s popularity continues to surge, with 6.7million vinyl LPs sold in 2024, the most for 30 years.
So are you a pop master when it comes to all things vinyl?
Emily Fairbairn puts you to the test with this fun quiz . . .
1) WHICH artist claimed both the best-selling new-release vinyl album of the last decade, and the fastest-selling vinyl album of the last decade?
a) Taylor Swift
b) Ed Sheeran
c) Adele
2) IN what year did physical music sales in the UK rise for the first time in three decades – all thanks to the vinyl boom?
a) 2019
b) 2021
c) 2024
3) WHO topped the first ever Official Vinyl Albums Chart in 2015?
a) Coldplay
b) All Time Low
c) One Direction
4) WHICH was the first UK supermarket to stock vinyl, starting in 2015?
a) Tesco
b) Sainsbury’s
c) Waitrose
5) MUSIC fans were gutted when the iconic HMV Oxford Street store closed, though it ironically helped customers seek out vinyls at their local independent record stores. But what year did the shop shut its doors?
a) 2016
b) 2018
c) 2019
6) WHAT is the biggest-selling vinyl album of 2025 so far?
a) Short N’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter
b) People Watching by Sam Fender
c) The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan

5
7) WHAT is the best-selling vinyl album of the 20th Century?
a) Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, inset
b) (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? by Oasis
c) The Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd
8) IN 2023, the biggest vinyl release of the year was by an iconic British group and entitled Hackney Diamonds. But who were they?
a) Blur
b) The Who
c) The Rolling Stones

5
9) WHAT is the top vinyl release of the last decade from a British recording artist?
a) Blackstar, David Bowie
b) Harry’s House by Harry Styles
c) Divide by Ed Sheeran
10) IN 2015, the most expensive vinyl ever was sold for $2million – and it was so valuable because the band behind it only produced one single copy. But who were they?
a) Wu-Tang Clan
b) Nirvana
c) Metallica

5
Answers
1: A, 2: C, 3: B, 4: A, 5: C, 6: B, 7: A, 8: C, 9: B, 10: A