The top 20 best-selling Aotearoa albums on vinyl since 2003 have been revealed — and there aren’t too many surprises.
Starting in October 2025, the Recorded Music Charts & Data team examined a range of historical retail sales data to determine the best-selling vinyl albums and artists since 2003.
Now, after reviewing 27 retail sources in total (including some retail stores no longer in existence) and using additional tools to identify past vinyl releases (such as barcode recognition), Recorded Music NZ has revealed the top 20 (including the most recant sales data up to May 2026).
Commercial behemoths Six60 and L.A.B dominate 20-10 with three albums piece, with the latter also making it into the top 10 with L.A.B III (No. 6).
Lorde also features heavily in the countdown thanks to Solar Power (No. 9), Virgin (No. 5), Pure Heroine (No. 4) and Melodrama (No. 3).
The top 20 is bookended by Fat Freddy’s Drop, who take out the top spot thanks to Based on a True Story.
Released in 2005, Fat Freddy’s Drop’s debut album was a roaring critical and commercial success, winning Album of the Year at the New Zealand Music Awards and spending 10 weeks atop the New Zealand charts.
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The renewed interest in vinyl is reflected in the presence in the top 20 of several recent releases, including Lorde’s aforementioned Solar Power (2021) and The Beths’ Expert in a Dying Field (2022). However, the most standout example is Marlon Williams’ Taite Music Prize-winning Te Whare Tīwekaweka, which makes it in at No. 10 despite only coming out last year.
Check out the top 20 below.
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Top 20 Aotearoa Vinyl Charts (2003-2026)
20 — Fat Freddy’s Drop, Blackbird
19 — Six60, Six60 (1)
18 — Tadpole, The Buddhafinger
17 — Fat Freddy’s Drop, Bays
16 — The Beths, Expert in a Dying Field
15 — Six60, Six60 (3)
14 — L.A.B, L.A.B IV
13 — Six60, Six60 (2)
12 — L.A.B, L.A.B
11 — L.A.B, L.A.B V
10 — Marlon Williams, Te Whare Tīwekaweka
9 — Lorde, Solar Power
8 — Th’ Dudes, Bliss on Wax
7 — Blindspott, Blindspott
6 — L.A.B, L.A.B III
5 — Lorde, Virgin
4 — Lorde, Pure Heroine
3 — Lorde, Melodrama
2 — Split Enz, True Colours
1 — Fat Freddy’s Drop, Based on a True Story
