UK recorded music consumption grows for 4th consecutive year according to figures released by the BPI, based on Official Charts Company data. Blockbuster film soundtracks and continued growth in streaming fuelled a near 6% rise in consumption.
A total of 142.9 million albums or their equivalent were either streamed, purchased on physical format, and/or downloaded over the past 12 months – corresponding to a 5.7 % rise on the 135.m figure in 2017. Combined UK sales and streams of recorded music have now grown by over a fifth (22%) since 2014 with an estimated retail value of £1.33 billion.
This continued growth has also been achieved in the face of an increasingly challenging UK retail trading environment as underlined by HMV recently going into administration.
UK artists accounted for half of the top-20 best-selling artist albums in 2018, with George Ezra’s double-Platinum Staying At Tamara’s (No.2) the biggest-selling album released in 2018. It led another successful year for British artists ahead of Ed Sheeran Divide, Dua Lipa Dua Lipa, Arctic Monkeys Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino, Rag‘n’Bone Man Human, Rod Stewart Blood Red Roses, Queen Bohemian Rhapsody – OST, Jess Glynne Always in Between, Paloma Faith The Architect, and Take That Odyssey. Seventeen of the top-30 overall were by British acts also including Sam Smith The Thrill Of It All, Little Mix LM5, and Anne-Marie’s Speak Your Mind, which was the year’s biggest-selling debut – BRIT Certified Gold with over 160,000 sales.
Music consumption was further boosted by the exceptional performance of blockbuster movie cast recordings in 2018. The Greatest Showman is first movie soundtrack to top the year-end album charts since Saturday Night Fever in 1978. It was the year’s biggest-selling title, selling well over twice the number of copies as its nearest rival and occupying the No.1 spot for almost half the year, beating Adele’s record for non-consecutive weeks at No.1 in the process.
The year’s top-10 artist albums also featured Abba’s songs in the Cast Recording of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (No.4), and Grammy-nominated tracks by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in the Cast Recording of A Star Is Born (No.7). Queen’s catalogue benefited from the Bohemian Rhapsody biopic, with the film’s Original Soundtrack (No.13) appearing in the top-50 with The Platinum Collection and Greatest Hits. With biopics of Elton John and others due in 2019, the ‘music & film’ theme looks set to continue.
North American acts also featured in the top-10 best-selling albums, led by Drake Scorpion, Post Malone Beerbongs & Bentleys, Michael Bublé Love, and Eminem – who had three albums in the top-40 – his 2018 release Kamikaze, Curtain Call – The Hits, and Revival.
UK Recorded Music 2018 Highlights
- 143 million albums or their equivalent were either streamed, purchased or downloaded in 2018.
- 91 Bn audio streams were served, up 34%, including 2 Bn streams in a single week for the first time.
- Landmark of over 100 Bn audio streams in a single year is expected to be passed in 2019.
- Vinyl growth continues as LP sales hit 4.2 million – Arctic Monkeys fastest-selling LP of past 25 years.
- Movie soundtracks become the fastest growing sector with the soundtrack to The Greatest Showman, the year’s biggest seller overall, spending half the year at No.1. Mamma Mia, A Star is Born and Bohemian Rhapsody soundtracks also achieved top 10 album status.
- George Ezra leads fellow Brits Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Calvin Harris, Jess Glynne and others in claiming half the top-20 artist albums and 6 of the 10 most streamed tracks of the year.
- Collectible super-deluxe box sets promote physical format and revenues.
Streaming accounts for nearly two-thirds of UK music consumption
Audio streaming now accounts for nearly two thirds (63.6%) of all UK music consumption and in December saw a new high of 2 Bn audio streams served in a single week. 2018 saw a total of 91 billion audio streams served through Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and other streamers. This represents a 33.5% rise on 2017 and a remarkable 2,350% increase since 2012. In 2019 it is likely that over 100 billion streams in a single year will be achieved.
Vinyl LP sales continue to grow
Close to 4.2 million LPs were purchased – a rise of 1.6% over 2017, up by 2,000% since the format’s low point of 205,000 copies sold in 2007 and representing the 11th consecutive year of growth. LP sales remain at their highest level since the start of the 90s, with 12,000 albums released on vinyl in 2018. Over 1 in 10 of all physical album purchases are now on vinyl format amounting to 3% of the music market compared to streaming – 63.6% and CD – 22.4%.
CD sales slip again but box sets grow
CD sale slipped by over a fifth during 2018 but collectible super-deluxe and limited-edition box sets are helping to keep the format relatively buoyant, with reissues of classic works by Kate Bush, David Bowie and The Beatles (The White Album celebrated its 50th anniversary) enabling physical formats to claim a larger share of retail spend than their unit consumption would suggest.
Surprisingly nearly 50,000 cassette albums were purchased – up 125.3% on 2017 and the largest volume sold since 2004.
