Brits Abroad: Sales Soar

Yet another positive stats story, as it’s revealed that UK acts claimed a 13.7% share of global album sales in 2014- reportedly the highest figure since BPI records began recording such figures.

Five of the top ten global recording artists of the year were British, a familiar roll call of One Direction, Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Sam Smith (pictured) and Pink Floyd.

BPI Chief Executive Geoff Taylor was on hand for comment and bubbled with typical bravado, saying: “The achievements of UK artists and labels in 2014 were truly outstanding, They dominated sales at home like never before, releasing all of the top-10 best-selling artist albums of 2014, while climbing higher than ever in the charts overseas”.

Freshly appointed Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Sajid Javid MP added: “The popularity of British music at home and abroad is, appropriately, only going in ‘One Direction’. These record figures are fantastic news and show the enormous demand for UK music all around the world”.

Yes, Javid actually said that British music is appropriately only going in ‘One Direction’, presumably just before playing back-to-back air guitar with Cameron on Alex James’s cheese farm.

You can find out more and buy the BPI’s ‘Music Market 2015 (a kind of smash hits annual for music stats geeks) report here.