Independent record stores in the UK have enjoyed a sales increase this year.

Data released by the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) show that sales in the first half of 2013 are up 44 per cent on figures from the same period last year.

David Bowie's comeback effort 'The Next Day' is the biggest selling record in independent shops so far this year - but the Telegraph reports that the album is only the 15th top release overall.

The data also reveals that more than half of the UK's vinyl buys were made in independent shops - despite only accounting for 3.2% of all album sales in the country. There are reportedly less than 300 indie record stores left in the UK.

Last year's vinyl sales meanwhile amounted to 12 million - four times the figures for 2006.

ERA chairman Paul Quirk commented: "These first-half sales figures reveal a stunning result for indie record shops. Although the odds are stacked against them, indies have fought back. These figures demonstrate that the time-honoured role of indie stores in highlighting music, which might otherwise fall through the cracks, is as relevant today as it has ever been."