UK music consumption increases for 9th year running up by 10.0% in 2023 according to figures released by the BPI. The figures based on Official Charts Company data showed that 182.8 million albums or their equivalent were either streamed or purchased in 2023. The UK consumption total was made up primarily of streams, comprising 179.6 Bn streams, up 12.8% on 2022 and more than double total achieved five years earlier.
The UK’s streaming market hit another record high in 2023 with 179.6 Bn audio streams accumulated across the 12 months. This was up 12.8% on the previous year and nearly double the total achieved five years earlier. Streaming now makes up 87.7% of the market, compared to 63.6% in 2018. The continuing rise in streaming numbers prompted the BPI – which is also behind the BRIT Certified Platinum, Gold & Silver Awards – to introduce the BRIT Billion Award in 2023, recognising artists who have achieved more than one billion career streams in the UK alone. To date, nearly 30 artists have been honoured, including Ed Sheeran with 10 Bn UK streams, The Rolling Stones and Queen as well as other British artists such as AJ Tracey, Becky Hill, Coldplay, RAYE, Rita Ora and Sam Smith. With a significant number of artists surpassing the one billion threshold, success in streaming is now measured in the tens and hundreds of millions a year, if not more.
Flowers by Miley Cyrus was one of 11 tracks to accumulate more than 100 million audio and video streams in the UK in 2023, with hits by Dave & Central Cee (the 10-week chart-topper Sprinter), RAYE ft 070 Shake (Escapism), Rema (Calm Down), Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding (Miracle), SZA (Kill Bill), PinkPantheress (Boy’s A Liar), Taylor Swift (Anti-Hero), Libianca (People), Harry Styles (As It Was) and Miguel (Sure Thing) also reaching nine figures.
They led a market in which a record-breaking 2,519 tracks accumulated at least 10 million audio and video streams in the year, compared to 1,136 tracks having reached the same total in 2018.
UK Official Charts Most Streamed Audio Tracks 2023
- Miley Cyrus – Flowers
- Dave & Central Cee – Sprinter
- RAYE ft 070 Shake – Escapism
- SZA – Kill Bill
- Taylor Swift – Anti-Hero
- Calvin Harrs & Ellie Goulding – Miracle
- PinkPantheress – Boy’s A Liar
- Rema – Calm Down
- Harry Styles – As It Was
- Libianca – People
© Official Charts Company
Women enjoy a record-breaking year in music in 2023
In what proved a landmark 12 months, women artists spent the most weeks at No.1 on the Official Singles Chart in a calendar year since the countdown launched in 1952. This is according to BPI analysis of Official Charts data. Led by Miley Cyrus’s 10-week chart-topper Flowers, women secured a record-breaking 31 out of 52 weeks leading the Official Singles Chart in 2023. This was thanks to a mix of UK domestic successes including Dua Lipa (Dance The Night), Ellie Goulding (Miracle with Calvin Harris), Kenya Grace (Strangers) and RAYE (Escapism ft 070 Shake), and international artists such as Billie Eilish (What Was I Made For?), Doja Cat (Paint The Town Red), Olivia Rodrigo (Vampire) and Taylor Swift (Is It Over Now (Taylor’s Version)).
Based on combined streaming and sales activity, four of 2023’s five biggest tracks and seven of the year’s Top 10 were by women, with Miley Cyrus’s Flowers at No.1 for the year joined by hits from fellow US superstars SZA (Kill Bill) and Taylor Swift (Anti-Hero), Cameroonian-American singer Libianca (People) and UK artists Ellie Goulding (Miracle with Calvin Harris), PinkPantheress (Boy’s A Liar) and RAYE (Escapism ft 070 Shake). It marked the greatest domination of a year-end Top 10 by women in more than 70 years of the Official Singles Chart.
UK Official Singles Chart 2023
- Miley Cyrus – Flowers
- Dave & Central Cee – Sprinter
- RAYE ft 070 Shake – Escapism
- Taylor Swift – Anti-Hero
- Calvin Harrs & Ellie Goulding – Miracle
- Rema – Calm Down
- SZA – Kill Bill
- PinkPantheress – Boy’s A Liar
- Harry Styles – As It Was
- Libianca – People
© Official Charts Company
Physical formats are still popular
Vinyl LP sales increased for the 16th consecutive year in 2023, growing at their fastest rate this decade with an 11.8% rise to 6.1 million units. This took them to their highest level since 1990 when releases by Phil Collins, Elton John and Madonna were among the year’s biggest sellers. While sales of Compact Discs continued to fall, their annual rate of decline slowed to its lowest level since 2015, dropping by 6.9% to 10.8 million units. This Life by Take That was the year’s top title with just over 127,000 units sold.
Cassettes surpassed six figures annually for the fourth consecutive year, reaching around 136,000 units with top seller Guts by Olivia Rodrigo having shifted nearly 8,500 copies on the format during its first week of release in September.
While streaming comfortably comprised more than four-fifths of the overall recorded music market last year, physical continued to dominate the top of the Official Albums Chart. Out of the 44 albums that debuted at No.1, 86% of them had more than half their chart-eligible sales made up of physical sales. In 35 weeks physical was behind more than 70% of chart-eligible sales of the week’s top album, led by The Courteeneers’ St Jude (97.5%), This Life by Take That (97.1%), Theatre Of The Absurd Presents C’est La Vie by Madness (91.0%), The Ballad Of Darren by Blur (89.6%) and Hackney Diamonds by The Rolling Stones (89.5%). Digital album sales dropped by 4.6% to 3.5 million units with the year’s best sellers including Trustfall by P!nk, But Here We Are by Foo Fighters and Endless Summer Vacation by Miley Cyrus.
Album Equivalent Sales (volume units)
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2023 +/- | |
| Streaming Equivalent Albums (SEA) | ||||
| Units | 132.4m | 143.1m | 160.3m | +12.0% |
| % total | 83.1% | 86.1% | 87.7% | |
| Track Equivalent Albums (TEA) | ||||
| Units | 2.4m | 2.0m | 1.8m | -8.7% |
| % total | 1.5% | 1.2% | 1.0% | |
| Digital Albums | ||||
| Units | 4.6m | 3.7m | 3.5m | -4.6% |
| % total | 2.9% | 2.2% | 1.9% | |
| Physical Albums | ||||
| Units | 20.0m | 17.3m | 17.1m | -1.1% |
| % total | 12.5% | 10.4% | 9.4% | |
| CD | ||||
| Units | 14.4m | 11.6m | 10.8m | -6.9% |
| Vinyl LP | ||||
| Units | 5.3m | 5.5m | 6.1m | +11.8% |
| Other (incl. cassettes) | ||||
| Units | 0.230m | 0.238m | 0.190m | -16.9% |
| TOTAL (AES) | ||||
| Units | 159.3m | 166.1m | 182.8m | +10.0% |
© Official Charts Company
