Consumption of British music, fuelled by strong demand for albums by Ed Sheeran, Rag’n’Bone Man, and Sam Smith, among others, as well as classic acts such as The Beatles and Roger Waters, accounted for 12.9% of all the music purchased or streamed around the world in 2017 according to BPI research.
British artists accounted for just under half (48.2%) of all UK album sales. But they also did well across Europe, where they were responsible for over a fifth (22.1%) of consumption, and in North America, taking up over 1 in 8 album purchases in the US and nearly 1 in 6 in Canada. In Australia they did particularly well with a quarter (24.9%) of consumption.
UK artists did less well in markets such as Japan and South Korea which are dominated by their own local repertoire. Sales in emerging territories such as China and India remained relatively small.
UK artists driving global success
Ed Sheeran’s album Divide was the world’s biggest-selling album according to IFPI figures, topping the charts in much of Europe and across North America, Australia and elsewhere. Rag’n’Bone Man’s Human and Sam Smith’s The Thrill of It All were the fourth and fifth-biggest sellers respectively, whilst Harry Styles’ self-titled solo release topped the weekly charts in the USA, Canada and Australia.
Classic acts remain popular with new international breakthroughs pointing to the future
The 50th anniversary reissue of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper was one of the best-performing albums by a UK artist, and the appeal of established acts such as Depeche Mode, Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones remains undimmed. The international breakthroughs of artists such as Annie-Marie, Jax Jones and Jonas Blue also points to a bright future for UK music overseas.
British artists continued their global popularity maintaining their position as ‘the second most successful music nation on earth, exporting more music than any other country after the US,’ said Geoff Taylor, BPI & BRIT Awards Chief Executive. He added that it was ‘not idle hyperbole to claim that music has truly become Britain’s international calling card.’
