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Discogs has been one of the most trusted resources for vinyl collectors since it was founded in 2000 — the site is a hub for the kind of niche information collectors care about, like vinyl weight and matrix numbers, as well as a place for enthusiasts to buy and sell records. That’s why it’s worth a visit to take the temperature of the physical media market, and Discogs’ Year in Review, released today, is a snapshot of the vinyl and CD buyer in 2025.
Discogs’ Year in Review is compiled using data from the site, and it breaks down the most popular vinyl records by region. The site has individual breakdowns for North America, Latin America, East and Southeast Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East and North Africa. Europe is further broken down into sections for the Nordic countries, Western Europe, the UK and Ireland, and Eastern Europe and Russia.
Globally, the most collected artists were primarily comprised of artists from the 1960s and 1970s. Acts like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, and Bob Dylan dominate the list. Only one artist on the list released a new studio album this year — Taylor Swift.
That’s not to say Discogs users aren’t buying new albums. When broken down by album, the most popular releases were predominantly from 2025. Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl came out on top, with recent releases like Lady Gaga’s Mayhem, Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend, and the Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow featured in the top 10.
Alt-metal made an impression, too, with releases from Deftones and Sleep Token cracking the list. As for hip hop, Tyler, the Creator’s Don’t Tap the Glass and Kendrick Lamar’s 2024 album GNX were featured. Besides studio albums, Pink Floyd’s Live at Pompeii and Post Malone’s Tribute to Nirvana rounded out the list.
You can check out the ten most popular albums below, and browse Discogs’ Year in Review here.
