Despite some highly successful releases, Q3 was largely a quarter to forget for the UK recorded music industry. Whatever the effects of a sweltering summer, recorded music does not seem to have been a beneficiary, at least on a market basis.
In fact, the overall market across all formats (AES) grew by just 0.1% year-on-year in the third quarter to 50.96 million equivalent sales. It compares to year-on-year market growth of 4.3% in Q2.
While the year-to-date AES figure up to Q3 of 3% year-on-year is a more healthy growth figure, it’s down compared to previous years (including just shy of 5% for 2025).
The drag on market growth this time came from a worsening performance for CD sales in Q3 (down 9.5% year-on-year) and continued decline for download sales.
Crucially, streaming failed to pick up the slack to any great extent: streaming consumption (SEA – streaming equivalent albums) was up just 0.4% year-on-year in Q3 compared to 4.2% in the prior quarter. For the year to date, streaming consumption was up 3.2% year-on-year (down from the 4.6% increase registered in the first half of 2026).
Dr Jo Twist OBE, BPI chief executive, said: “If you look at the wider context, there was no Glastonbury, which normally helps spur sales and streams in the early weeks of Q3, and the market was also up against some big releases this time last year, including from Sabrina Carpenter, Ed Sheeran and, of course, all the excitement around Oasis last Summer. There have been some welcome highlights, including the major breakout success of Sienna Spiro, Ezra Collective achieving their first No.1 album, and Beabadoobee consolidating her success with her second consecutive chart-topper.
“Looking ahead, we can look forward to big releases from Take That, U2 and Fontaines DC, among others, whilst the product line-up for National Album Day is shaping up as one of the strongest yet commercially.”
We can look forward to big releases from Take That, U2 and Fontaines DC, whilst the product line-up for National Album Day is shaping up as one of the strongest yet commercially
Dr Jo Twist
Despite some big openings for albums from Ariana Grande and Madonna, as well as an expanded version of Taylor Swift’s The Life Of A Showgirl, there have not been as many blockbuster opening weeks in the third quarter.
In contrast, six albums topped 40,000 units in week one in the first half of the year, including releases by Raye, BTS, Noah Kahan, Drake, Harry Styles and Olivia Rodrigo.
With big six-figure opening weeks for Harry Styles’ Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally (183,045) and Olivia Rodrigo’s You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love (102,814 units), both albums have gone on to stream consistently well.
Released at the end of Q2, Olivia Rodrigo’s album is on top for the third quarter (175,732 units), based on Official Charts Company data – an impressive result seeing as that doesn’t include its opening week. Rodrigo finished just ahead of Michael Jackson’s The Essential in Q3. You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love is certified platinum and is No.5 overall for the year to date (306,556 units).
Jackson’s The Essential is No.1 for the year to date (508,343 units), ahead of Olivia Dean’s The Art Of Loving (494,677 units) at No.2 and Styles at No.3 (392,990 units). Olivia Dean has the No.1 single for the year to date with Man I Need (1,827,004), closely followed by Sam Fender collaboration Rein Me In; they swapped places in Q3 with Rein Me In’s long No.1 run seeing it top the quarterly rankings.
Sienna Spiro’s Visitor has also been a standout over the summer with the debut album remaining in the Top 10 since release in July. It was No.3 overall in Q3 (115,628 units).
PHYSICAL SLIPS, VINYL STILL STRONG
The physical music revival has been a rollercoaster with overall sales down again in Q3 (-1.6% to 3,727,446) compared to year-on-year growth of 6.1% in Q2.
The reversal was down to that sharper decline for CD (down 9.5% year-on-year compared to a 2.7% dip in the prior quarter). For the year to date, physical sales are still up 2.0% to 11,853,020 units, so an overall sales increase is still possible in 2026.
Vinyl growth also slowed compared to Q2’s stonking 17.9%, though 8.8% growth year-on-year in Q3 (1,675,311 units) is still good going. For the year to date, vinyl sales are on 5,471,562 units and still powering ahead (up 13.9%).
Speaking about physical sales in the latest edition of Music Week, Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) CEO Kim Bayley said: “It is consistently on the up. Record Store Day this year was the biggest we've ever seen, the biggest growth we've ever seen. Album sales, particularly on vinyl, just continue to grow and I think that speaks to a younger audience coming into the market.”
Album sales, particularly on vinyl, continue to grow – that speaks to a younger audience coming into the market
Kim Bayley
BPI CEO Dr Jo Twist added: “Physical shows that it remains a core part of our music ecosystem. Demand for vinyl, even at the premium end, continues to rise and if anything at a faster rate than in recent years. It’s amazing to think that it’s now almost two decades since the ‘revival’ began. Soon the so-called revival will have lasted longer than the original period of growth. And let’s not forget the CD, which is still strong. Both formats remain important to the market, and we know that younger fans are now discovering CDs too.”
For the record, CD sales are still ahead in unit terms (6,183,312 units), but it won’t be long until vinyl claims victory in the slow-burning battle for format supremacy.
The release of Fontaines DC’s much anticipated Dopamine Chamber LP next week will also see strong vinyl sales.
The physical market will get another boost with National Album Day (October 17) and Record Store Day Black Friday on November 27, with releases newly confirmed for the latter from artists including Florence + The Machine, Noah Kahan, Sombr, Jessie Ware and more.
PHOTO: Nick Walker
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