Grimewave: BPI Charts Rise

A new report conducted by the BPI, and produced in association with Disrupt Media and the Official Charts Company, has evaluated the position of Grime within wider British music. The report reveals that grime sales and streams nearly doubled to outperform the market, with the genre being successful in performing on all album formats, with a particular emphasis on streaming. The report asserts that “grime now enjoys a healthy 1.6% share of music consumption when compared to other genres”.

The report analysed grime tracks and albums released in the UK between May 2016 and 2017, concluding that there was “a remarkable 93% rise in consumption – compared to an increase of 6% for the market overall”.

Releases by Skepta, Stormzy (pictured), Kano, Krept & Konan and JME, amongst others, were cited as being crucial to the uplift. In addition, the report highlights that grime is going against the grain in terms of digital download trends, with a 51% rise in grime albums despite an overall industry decrease of 27%. The BPI estimates that physical and digital sales of albums that could be classed as grime totalled almost 410,000 in the 12 months ending May 4, 2017.

Commenting on the report, the usually reticent Chief Executive of the BPI Geoff Taylor said: “Grime is a uniquely British phenomenon which has exerted a powerful underground influence for more than a decade, but is now also making a real impact in the charts and on the mainstream of British music. It’s not only helping to shape domestic consumption and trends, it is becoming a flag-bearer for Britain’s global reputation as a hub of musical innovation”.

Read the full report here.