Prime Minister Hails Success Of British Music As Global Sales Reach Almost £2bn In 2011
UK artists took 12.6% of global music sales in 2011, up from 11.8% in 2010, accounting for one in eight of all artist albums sold
Sales of British music abroad reached £1.9 billion in retail value in 2011 with British artists accounting for almost 13% of global sales of recorded music, new BPI figures revealed today.
The Prime Minister, David Cameron, welcomed the figures at the start of Music is GREAT week, saying:
“British music is loved all over the globe, and as a country we can be proud of the tremendous success of our music industry, which is a world leader. We are determined to support British creative businesses that generate jobs and opportunities for young people.”
Britain’s share of trade in recorded music is four times the UK’s overall share of world trade in goods (2.7%) and more than double its share of trade in services (6.2%), according to figures from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Sales in 2011 were boosted by Adele who became the fourth British artist in five years to claim the best-selling artist album in the world, following in the footsteps of Amy Winehouse, Coldplay, and Susan Boyle.
21 sold a staggering 18 million copies, accounting for 1.6% of all albums sold in the global music market. The Someone Like You singer’s debut album 19 also climbed up the charts to become the 6th biggest seller of the year, three years after its release.
In the world’s biggest and most competitive market, the USA, British artists – including Tinie Tempah, Florence + the Machine, Hugh Laurie and Mumford & Sons – accounted for a record share of albums sales this century with one in eight albums sold (11.7%) produced by a UK act.
In neighbouring Canada, the popularity of British artists soared by over 20% to 16.2%, accounting for one in six of every artist album sold.
Commenting on the success of British music abroad BPI Chief Executive Geoff Taylor said,
“Britain makes great music – and the world is tuning in. From the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to Coldplay and Adele, our global success helps the reputation of Britain overseas and generates jobs here in the UK.
“This success is due to the creativity of our artists, but also because we have an innovative, risk-taking music industry in Britain that helps our artists reach billions of fans around the globe.
“Music is one of the things that makes Britain great. Government support for the British music industry is pivotal to maintaining the UK’s position as the second most important producer of music in the world.”
In Europe, British acts bagged their biggest share of the UK market since 1997 taking 52.7% of artist album sales at home. The popularity of British music also increased in France, rising to 17.0% of the albums market, with releases from Muse, Seal, and James Blunt performing well.
In Asia, rock accounted for the lion’s share of British sales in the Japanese market. Beady Eye’s debut album and Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto were the biggest sellers by UK artists. New acts also made an impression with chart success for debutants Jessie J, The Vaccines and The View.
Source: BPI
