Rough Trade has revealed its Albums Of The Year list for 2024 as the retailer reports strong sales growth.
The list landed last week and was topped by the posthumous album by Sophie, as well as featuring releases by English Teacher, The Last Dinner Party, Laura Marling and Charli XCX. In case you missed it, the full Top 20 albums are below.
Sales of physical music in the UK are up roughly 10% year-on-year with Rough Trade ahead of the market, according to the retailer. Music Week has reported on the prospect of the first overall units increase annually in physical music in two decades.
The rate of sales growth at Rough Trade has accelerated in recent months, including a 37% year-on-year increase in September.
Their stores have also seen an increase in footfall of 15% from last year. For September, Rough Trade reported sales growth of 37% year-on-year.
“Physical sales are in a strong position with vinyl continuing to drive growth and CD having found its place in the market after years of decline,” said Rough Trade MD Lawrence Montgomery. “There is so much excitement in the market thanks to how artists and labels are using special editions and live performances to activate releases.”
“We will get close to 1,000 events by the end of the year,” he added. “This commitment from artists to get in front of audiences is admirable and we're proud of our position connecting fans and artists.”
During 2024, Rough Trade opened two new stores in the UK, with one in Liverpool and another on London’s Denmark Street.
Rough Trade’s Albums Of The Year has a strong showing for domestic talent, with 13 out of the Top 20 albums in the list coming from UK acts, the highest percentage in the last five years. Island Records had three entries in the Top 10 from English Teacher, The Last Dinner Party and Yard Act.
“Our Albums Of The Year promotion is shaping up to be our most impactful yet,” said MD Lawrence Montgomery. “The strong support from artists and labels means we are going to be looking back on a cracking year for music.”
The broader A&R and marketing impact of record shops is important to the health and success of UK music
Lawrence Montgomery
Montgomery welcomed Q4’s “strong release schedule and the chance to look back on a strong year for music”. The key titles for the retailer in the quarter have included Ezra Collective, Jamie xx, Amyl & The Sniffers, Sophie, Laura Marling, The Smile and Michael Kiwanuka.
While the Rough Trade list is based on critical merit, many of the album picks have clear commercial potential.
“Looking back on the year, we've seen some huge sales from The Last Dinner Party, Fontaines DC, Idles, English Teacher and Sprints, and these are the sort of albums that will benefit from a re-focus towards the end of the year,” said Montgomery. “Charli XCX is, of course, a phenomenon and has done really well at retail – however, managing availability on this title has been a challenge.”
To coincide with the release of Rough Trade’s Top 20 list, a selection of the other artists on the list have announced that exclusive vinyl variants will be available from Rough Trade stores. This year they include an exclusive LP from Laura Marling covering a selection of children’s songs from the songwriter Raffi, live releases from Yard Act, Amyl & The Sniffers and Idles, and new colour variants from Charli XCX, St Vincent, Ezra Collective, English Teacher and Sophie.
Looking ahead, Montgomery is confident about the future of physical music, but also sounded a note of caution.
“We think that the physical market is in a good position,” he said. “The most important thing for us is that there is a sustainable ecosystem. Increased demand helps make this possible and our investment into new stores as well as our existing estate gives artists and labels a great network to connect with fans.
“Having said all of that, it is a delicate ecosystem and there needs to be recognition that retailers continue to work on a razor-thin margin. Furthermore, the value they give the market is more than just units sold. The broader A&R and marketing impact of record shops is important to the health and success of UK music. Therefore, it is important that labels recognise this and continue to support the sustainability of record shops around the country.”
Montgomery also identified books as a growth segment for the music retailer.
“Music book publishing is in a golden period,” he said. “We have seen our book sales double in three years and 2024’s slate – including Will Hodgkinson’s Street-Level Superstar: A Year With Lawrence and titles by Joel Gion, Kathleen Hanna, The Jesus And Mary Chain, Colin Greenwood, Becky Hook [The Hacienda: Threads] and many more – are driving strong demand from our audience.”
ROUGH TRADE ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2024
1. Sophie – Sophie
2. English Teacher – This Could be Texas
3. Laura Marling – Patterns in Repeat
4. The Smile – Cutouts
5. The Last Dinner Party – Prelude to Ecstasy
6. Idles – Tangk
7. Amyl And The Sniffers – Cartoon Darkness
8. Charli XCX – Brat
9. Sprints – Letter To Self
10. Yard Act – Where’s My Utopia?
11. Father John Misty – Mahashmashana
12. Big Special – Postindustrial Hometown Blues
13. Fontaines DC – Romance
14. Ezra Collective – Dance, Like No One’s Watching
15. St. Vincent – All Born Screaming
16. Clairo – Charm
17. Katy J Pearson – Someday, Now
18. Magdalena Bay – Imaginal Disk
19. Bill Ryder-Jones – Iechyd Da
20. Fabiana Palladino – Fabiana Palladino
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