Taylor Swift: First Artist Since the 1980s To Break This Record With 'Midnights'

Swift already broke several Guinness World Records when Midnights dropped in October 2022. The 33-year-old sold a million copies within days of her release and then conquered streaming by becoming the most-streamed daily album on Spotify.

It was light work for Swift, who held the record since she released Reputation in 2017. Anti-Hero, the leading single from Midnights, spent its first two weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

All 20 tracks from Midnights also simultaneously charted on the Hot 100 while the album spent four weeks at number one. During her first week, Swift held the Top Ten on the Billboard Hot 100 concurrently making another record.

Midnights launched with 1.578 million sales worldwide with 1.1 million pure copies while the rest of the 575,000 copies were Vinyl. The Independent reviewed the album upon release.

If anyone could revive CD and physical copies sales, it was Swift and her loyal fanbase. Swifties proved they'll never leave her side. In the last ten years, the streaming industry boost changed the music world forever, as fans now have access to their favorite music on mobile devices.

However, that also caused a ripple effect in the purchase of Vinyl copies for old souls, devoted fans and people who don't trust the longevity of the streaming services. The Guardian added that the last fifteen years saw an increased Vinyl copies sale with over 5.5 million this year.

Former boyband star and pop star, Harry Styles came a close second to Swift with his acclaimed album, Harry's House. Styles cemented himself as a global superstar with his Love on Tour Tour in 2022 so, it's no surprise the numbers match.

Arctic Monkeys ranked third on the UK best-selling Vinyl list with her album, The Car. The group also ranked as the only recording artist to appear twice with an almost ten years old album, thanks to AM sitting on number ten.

An executive at the British Phonographic Industry confirmed that physical copies would always be relevant as it's an essential and healthy part of the music market. Geoff Taylor said,