UK Archives

Insanity Radio

06/12/2022

Insanity Radio is a community radio station which is part of Royal Holloway, University of London. It broadcasts on 103.2 FM in the North Surrey, West London and South East Berkshire areas and has an internet radio presence with a webplayer, smart speaker support and a CD Quality lossless FLAC stream. Started in 1998 the station has won numerous awards and a full history can be found here. The station broadcasts a wide variety of […]

Spotify launches Audiobooks in US

27/11/2022

Update: 27/11/2022 – On Tuesday 22nd November, Spotify announced that audiobooks are also now available for purchase in the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. Spotify launches Audiobooks in US where Spotify listeners will be able to purchase and listen to more than 300,000 audiobook titles. The new service comes with a brand-new user interface that’s geared specifically for listening to audiobooks and fits them seamlessly alongside the music and podcasts available in the apps. […]

Vinyl LPs outsell CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs in UK

18/09/2022

Vinyl LPs outsell CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs in UK according to analysis by ERA, the digital entertainment and retailers association. Year-to-date sales figures show that for the first-time vinyl LPs have overtaken all physical entertainment formats bar Nintendo Switch games. It means that UK consumers have spent more money on the 74 year old format than on Playstation 4 and 5 games combined, as well as more than on CDs, DVDs or Blu-ray discs. […]

UK Indie music has fourth consecutive year of growth

15/04/2022

UK Indie music has fourth consecutive year of growth is one of the insights from the BPI’s recently published annual yearbook All About the Music 2022. This and other observations are based on data from the Official Chart Company and shows that: Independent labels’ share of the UK music market grew to just under 27% in 2021, boosted by classic LP releases and 60 indie albums entering the Top 10 Official Albums Chart Independents’ share […]

UK National Album Day will return on 15th October

03/04/2022

UK National Album Day will return on Saturday 15th October and this year will take as its theme Debut Albums, following themes set in previous years including Women in Music and the 80s. Now in its 5th year, National Album Day aims to shine a light on the art form of the album, celebrating the creativity and artistry that goes into making an album. The Debut Albums theme will look to showcase a broad range […]

UK recorded music revenues up 12.8% in 2021

21/03/2022

UK recorded music revenues up 12.8% in 2021 reaching £1.262 Bn according to a recent report by the BPI. This marked the sector’s seventh consecutive year of revenue growth, led by streaming. However, when adjusted for inflation, revenue in 2021 was £368 million below the 2006 CPI-adjusted figure of £1.63 Bn, while using RPI the 2006 figure would have been £1.795 Bn – £534 million higher than the 2021 total. Revenue from streaming again fuelled much of […]

Brits spent 5 days streaming music in 2021

07/03/2022

Brits spent 5 days streaming music in 2021 averaging 2,342 tracks according to figures released by the Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA). The new peak for UK streaming, which drove UK music industry revenues to an eight year high, are contained in the latest edition of the ERA Yearbook, the definitive UK statistical overview of the music, video and games markets. As an antidote to many in the music business who portray music streaming as […]