Ed Sheeran Sets Highest First Week Vinyl Sales in 20 Years

By the time Rauf Yousaf became the medical board chairman for Territory X-Ray Services in Cairns and Darwin, Australia, he had already been serving the same elected position with Cairns-based North Queensland X-Ray Services for three years, both positions he still holds. Outside of Rauf Yousaf’s professional responsibilities, he enjoys listening to rock music, and has a fondness for vinyl records.

Music sensation Ed Sheeran has topped the vinyl charts with his album Divide. The singer sold 13,500 vinyl copies of the album within its first week of release, giving Divide the highest one-week vinyl sales in over 20 years. In the first week of Divide’s release, Sheeran’s album sold a whopping 419,000 physical copies, with vinyl sales accounting for about 3 percent of the pie.

Regarding first-week vinyl sales figures, Divide overtook such giants as David Bowie and Radiohead. One possible contributing factor is the handwritten note Sheeran included in every single vinyl Divide record.

The note, teased via the superstar’s Instagram profile in February, thanked fans for buying the album, praised them, and elaborated on what Sheeran had for breakfast that morning, oddly enough. The vinyl version of Divide also included four exclusive tracks in Barcelona, Bibia Be Ye Ye, Save Myself, and Nancy Mulligan.