Röyksopp’s ‘Melody A.M.’ is one of the most expensive vinyl sold in history

Röyksopp’s ‘Melody A.M.’ has been revealed as one of the most expensive vinyl sold in history.

The 2001 debut album by the Norwegian duo, which landed at Number One in Norway and Number Nine in the UK, is widely regarded as a seminal collection of ambient electronica.

‘Melody A.M.’ propelled Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland to fame and also established them as in-demand remixers, such as being enlisted by Coldplay in 2003 for a rework of ‘Clocks’, ‘Röyksopp Trembling Heart Mix’.

Since their debut album, which spawned singles including ‘So Easy’, ‘Eple’ and ‘Poor Leno’, Röyksopp have seen their work featured heavily in films and TV shows including Six Feet Under. They’ve gone on to collaborate with artists including Robyn and The Knife’s Karin Dreijer Andersson, and have arguably influenced later electronic acts including Miike Snow and Cut Copy.

Now, WeRaveYou has highlighted Discogs‘ fresh rundown of the most expensive vinyl records ever sold – and revealed that ‘Melody A.M’ nears the top of the list.

A 2002 version of the duo’s debut with a Banksy-drawn cover sold for $10,465.10 (£8,477.25) on Discogs in 2019. The particular copy of the album was limited to 100 pressed copies, which explains the price tag.

However, ‘Choose Your Weapon’ by Scaramanga Silk is at the top of Discogs‘ list, selling for $27,500 (£22,273.35). A copy of Prince‘s ‘The Black Album‘ follows in second at $25,000 (£20,250).

The news follows a Pet Shop Boys CD from 2003 becoming one of the most expensive ever sold.

‘Pop Art: The Hits – 5 Songs From Our History’ was released via Parlophone solely in Japan two decades ago, and was limited to 25 copies. The CD collates some of the band’s best and most-loved tracks from across their career, including ‘West End Girls’ and ‘Always On My Mind’.

A new list from Discogs compiling the 50 most expensive CDs to be sold on the popular resale site sees ‘Pop Art: The Hits – 5 Songs From Our History’ sitting at Number Nine with a sale value of $2,309.15 (£1,870).

In related news, vinyl has outsold CD for first time in 35 years, according to figures released by the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA).

Overall music sales increased by three per cent in 2022 to almost £2billion, which is the highest figure since 2003 and nearly double the level of their low point in 2013.

According to the published figures, physical sales did fall slightly by 3.8 per cent to £280.4million, but levelled out as the vinyl format showed sustained growth while CD declined.

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