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 of artist album sales was even higher at 34.2%, with No.1s from Wolf Alice, Mogwai and KSI among others, while the sector accounted for 4 in every 10 vinyl LP purchases
- Indie artists including Central Cee, KSI & AJ Tracey are racking up hundreds of millions of streams in the UK alone, while Arlo Parks secured a notable Mercury Prize and BRIT Awards double
- Positive trend continuing strongly into 2022, with indie share up to 29% YTD, boosted by No.1 LPs from The Wombats, Don Broco, Central Cee and Stereophonics; and Wet Leg now set to join them
The collective share of music consumption in the UK attributable to independent labels rose to stand at 26.9% in 2021. This was up from 25.9% in 2020 and is markedly higher than the 22.1% figure registered in 2017.
Indie label share of artist album sales has grown by more than a tenth in just two years, increasing across every format, from 30.4% in 2019 to 34.2% in 2021. Their share of the UK vinyl market has risen even more sharply and in 2021 they accounted for four in every ten (39.5%) vinyl LP purchases – up from 33.9% in 2019.
The strong performance reflects a particularly successful year for ‘indie’ artists, with 60 independent albums charting in the Official Albums Chart Top-10 (compared with 52 in 2020), including No.1 albums from artists such as Wolf Alice, Mogwai, KSI and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, while new artists including Central Cee, KSI and AJ Tracey each racked up hundreds of millions of streams in the UK alone.
The BPI All About The Music 2022 yearbook is free to BPI members but can be purchased here.
