Vinyl has made an unlikely comeback in the last few years in the face of stream services.

And record shops in Norwich are reporting a boom in business - and a very good Christmas.

This year has seen the biggest vinyl sale since 1992 with more than five million units shifted nationwide.

Benjamin Venus, the founder of Venus Vinyl in Magdalen Street, saw his sales jump online in the run up to the festive period.

He said: “The store starts to get busier around two weeks before Christmas but a lot of the regulars will stop buying around this time as they have asked for some for Christmas.

“So, while vinyl is very popular, it doesn’t increase during the festive season it just balances itself out.”

Benjamin thinks that the decline in the desire for CDs and the increase in streaming services has actually helped the rise in the popularity of vinyl

“Most people stream music, which means they have no need for a physical copy, most households now wouldn’t even be able to play a CD," he said.

“This is why people are more inclined to purchase their most favourite music in the format of a vinyl – the sound of the vinyl is much more rewarding that digital or CD.

“I think vinyl is much more tactile and immersive, each record is quite literally a piece of art.”

Benjamin believes that the market has also been able to engage the younger generation by introducing different coloured vinyl adding that "owning a record player and playing records is pretty rad".

Martin Webb at Circular Sound said the shop had seen a huge increase in the interest of vinyl, mainly classic rock and releases from the 1990s.

He said: “I have been selling records for 40 years and during that time there have been several mediums which have tried to challenge vinyl including the CD.

“Vinyl just has that extra something, the artwork of the picture sleeve, footnotes or booklets which you’re able to read without a magnifying glass, the presentation of the sleeve itself can draw you in.

“The record itself is an experience down to the distinctive oily smell, and the process of placing the stylus to hear your music. Other formats still deliver you the same music but the experience seems very clinical in comparison."

What were the top ten biggest selling vinyl in 2021?

The official charts list the following records as the top ten selling vinyl's of this year:

  1. Chemtrails Over the Country Club – Lana Del Rey

  2. Blue Weekend – Wolf Alice

  3. Rumours – Fleetwood Mac

  4. Typhoons – Royal Blood

  5. Medicine at Midnight – Foo Fighters

  6. Fine Line – Harry Styles

  7. Back the Way We Came Vol 1 – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying

  8. Greatest Hits – Queen

  9. Fat Pop – Paul Weller

  10. Back to Black – Amy Winehouse