Sales surge on Record Store Day...

Limited edition releases by the Arctic Monkeys and David Bowie helped boost sales of vinyl on Record Store Day.

Sales of 7-inch singles sold rose by 62%, said organisers, with a rare Noel Gallagher EP topping the chart.

However, vinyl remains a niche market. Despite the sales boost, only 1,500 7-inches were sold last week.

Record Store Day, which took place on Saturday, 21 April is an annual campaign to get fans to visit their local independent music shop.

Musicians supported the campaign by releasing dozens of exclusive tracks and rarities - with highlights including a hard-to-find remix of Abba's Voulez-Vous and a limited-edition coloured vinyl by the White Stripes.

Many of the 230 record stores that took part saw queues form outside their doors early on Saturday morning.

According to organisers, all of the top 10 physical singles sold last week were Record Store Day exclusives.

Former Oasis guitarist Gallagher was number one, with a four-track EP that compiled b-sides from his High Flying Birds project. The release had been limited to 2,000 copies.

Next came a heavyweight purple vinyl edition of the Arctic Monkeys' latest single, RU Mine, followed by a re-release of the Sex Pistols' Anarchy In The UK.

The newly-launched Official Record Store Chart, which tracks album sales in independent record shops, was also dominated by Record Store Day releases.

Seven of the Top 10 records were exclusives, said the Official Chart Company. The Beatles were the most popular, with a 4-disc vinyl box set of their number one singles charting at number three.

Leonard Cohen Live In Fredericton was at four, followed by Metallica's Beyond Magnetic at five.

However, the week's best-selling album was a traditional release - the new record by space-rock specialists Spiritualized.

Their album, Sweet Heart Sweet Light, pushed last week's number one, by Alabama Shakes, into second place.

Record Store Day coordinator Spencer Hickman, who also runs the Rough Trade East record store in London, said: "I can't believe just how busy Record Store Day was again this year."

"With vinyl sales again on the rise for the fifth year in a row, indie record stores and RSD are proving to be more relevant than ever for the discerning music buyer."

Vinyl record sales reached a six-year high in 2011. A total of 341,000 albums were sold, with Radiohead's The King Of Limbs the best-selling record of the year.

Source: BBC