For music purists, digital just will not do.

Vinyl, the once ubiquitous music format, has had an impressive revival in the UK and sales of records this year are on course to break through the 1 million mark for the first time in almost 20 years.

Sales of vinyl have risen sharply since a 20-year low in 2007. From 2012 to 2013 sales doubled, though limited capacity in vinyl pressing plants could limit future growth.

The resurgence in popularity of vinyl has been helped by annual events such as Record Store Day, when independent record stores offer discounts and in-store events in an effort to attract consumers.

The rising sales are closely linked with the emergence of Record Store Day, which started in 2008. More than 240 record stores in the UK and Ireland took part in 2014, up from about 100 when it began.

"With Record Store Day people rediscovered independent shops and the joy of vinyl," says Kim Bailey, director-general of the Entertainment Retailer's Association, which organises the event.

With close to 800,000 vinyl records sold so far this year, already higher than 2013, the British Phonographic Industry says sales could hit the 1 million mark for the first time since 1996, when hip-hop group The Fugees topped the charts with their acclaimed album The Score.

The figures do not capture the secondary market of online vinyl sales, so they are likely to be higher still.

But vinyl still remains a tiny fraction of total music sales, which is increasingly dominated by digital purchases and subscriptions. Vinyl album sales were worth £12.5m in 2013, 2.4 per cent of total music sale.

"People use digital, and increasingly streaming, because it's such a fantastically versatile and convenient way to discover, enjoy and share their favourite music, but ultimately it's a function format, whereas vinyl is something that you love to own and collect," says Gennaro Castaldo, BPI spokesman.

Financial Times