The Official Top 40 best-selling CD albums of 2024

Coldplay’s “Moon Music” emerged as the best-selling CD album of 2024 in the UK, reflecting a broader slowdown in the decline of CD sales. The album, marking the band’s 10th studio release, sold over 204,000 copies, edging out Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” by 7,000 units. Upon its release, “Moon Music” soared to the top of the Official Albums Chart, marking the band’s 10th consecutive number one album. Its debut week saw impressive sales figures that have not been matched since Adele’s release of “30” in 2021, with “Moon Music” achieving the highest first-week CD sales since Ed Sheeran’s “÷” in 2017.

The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) noted that 2024 marked the first year in two decades to see growth in UK physical album sales, primarily driven by vinyl, but with significant stabilization in CD sales as well. This stabilization comes after years of double-digit declines, with a mere 2.9% drop in CD sales in 2024 to 10.5 million units.

Most of the year’s top-selling CDs were recent releases, with Coldplay’s “Moon Music” and Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” leading the pack, together selling over 400,000 copies. Swift’s album was notably the second best-seller on CD, contributing to her record as the fastest-selling album on this format.

Other notable entries in the top-selling CDs of the year included works by Rod Stewart & Jools Holland, Teddy Swims, and several chart-topping albums from artists like David Gilmour, Michael Ball & Alfie Boe, The Cure, Charli XCX, and Billie Eilish. Each of these albums not only topped the charts upon their releases but also underscored the diversified musical tastes of CD purchasers in 2024.

Here’s a detailed chart listing the top 40 albums in the UK, including their position, title, and artist:

This chart provides a comprehensive view of the leading albums across various genres and artists in the UK for the year.