BPI Quarterly Review - July 2005 : 11:7:2005

> Download sales top ten million

 

> British indie rock fans spark seven inch vinyl revival

 

> UK music enjoys US renaissance

 

> Second quarter round up; artist albums buck high street downturn

 

 

> Download sales top ten million

 

UK record industry trade association the BPI today announced that download sales in 2005 have passed the ten-million mark – almost twice the level for the whole of 2004.

 

With the growth in legal downloads already outstripping the growth in illegal filesharing, this is more good news for an industry beginning to make headway against the unauthorised use of music on the internet. By comparison legal download sales for the whole of calendar 2004 were 5.7 million

 

BPI Chairman Peter Jamieson said: “The record industry has enthusiastically embraced the new legal download services since their emergence in the mainstream little more than a year ago and now we’re beginning to reap the rewards.

 

“The battle against illegal filesharing will continue, but we are delighted to have hit this milestone so soon.”

 

Vinyl gains add gloss to the single’s 2005 revival

 

Meanwhile 2005 looks set to be a bumper year for the seven inch vinyl, with quarterly sales up by 87.3% on last year.

 

Vinyl is not the only format to have improved in 2005. Impressive gains in DVD single sales have, alongside downloads, more than compensated for the decline in the CD single. Overall there has been a 52.4% improvement in single sales (including downloads).

 

April-June 2005 – Single Track Sales

 

Digital Singles / Single Track Downloads

 

2004 | 659,377

2005 | 5,562,638

% Change | 743.6%

 

CD Singles

 

2004 | 5,721,873

2005 | 4,408,453

% Change | -23.0%

 

Seven Inch Vinyl

 

2004 | 154,216

2005 | 288,780

% Change | 87.3%

 

Others

 

2004 | 710,745

2005 | 780,204

% Change | 9.8%

 

Total Single Track Sales

 

2004 | 7,246,211

2005 | 11,040,075

% Change | 52.4%

 

Source: The Official UK Chart Company

 

 

> British indie rock fans spark seven inch vinyl revival

 

Annual sales of seven-inch vinyl singles now approach 1.4 million units, representing a massive 64% improvement year-on-year and the best 12 months for the format since 1998, according to data compiled by BPI

 

With vinyl firmly back in fashion, the seven inch’s improving fortunes have been attributed to fans of British indie and rock acts.

 

Best-selling seven inch single in the year to March 2005 was a limited edition reissue of Iron Maiden’s Number of the Beast. Elsewhere the format is dominated by a new generation of UK rock acts including the Libertines, Babyshambles, Kaiser Chiefs and Franz Ferdinand.

 

BPI Chairman Peter Jamieson said: “Despite the incredible growth in download sales, there is still a huge demand for the collectible physical formats. It would be wrong to write-off physical formats just yet. Record companies are committed to meeting consumer demand in whatever format people want their music ”

 

The Vinyl Top 20; 12 months ending March 31 2005

 

1 The Number Of The Beast - Iron Maiden (EMI Records)

2 Killamangiro - Babyshambles (Rough Trade)

3 Can’t Stand Me Now - The Libertines (Rough Trade)

4 Oh My God - Kaiser Chiefs (B Unique)

5 Matinee - Franz Ferdinand (Domino Recordings)

6 Wonderful - Brian Wilson (Atlantic Records)

7 An Honest Mistake - The Bravery (Polydor)

8 What Became Of The Likely Lads - The Libertines (Rough Trade)

9 Boulevard Of Broken Dreams - Green Day (Warner Bros)

10 American Idiot - Green Day (Warner Bros)

11 For Lovers - Wolfman ft Pete Doherty (Rough Trade)

12 The Bottle - Paul Weller (V2 Music)

13 Jolene: Live Under Blackpool Lights - White Stripes (XL Recordings)

14 5 Colours In Her Hair - McFly (Universal Island)

15 You’ll Come Round - Status Quo (UMTV)

16 Hounds Of Love - Futureheads (Warner Bros)

17 So Here We Are/Positive Tension - Bloc Party (Wichita Recordings)

18 Black and White Town - Doves (EMI Records)

19 Michael - Franz Ferdinand (Domino Recordings)

20 Irish Blood, English Heart - Morrissey (Sanctuary)

 

7 inch single sales, 12 months ending:

 

March 31 1998 | 1,637,000

March 31 1999 | 910,000

March 31 2000 | 601,000

March 31 2001 | 504,000

March 31 2002 | 455,000

March 31 2003 | 530,000

March 31 2005 | 1,380,000

 

 

 

> UK music enjoys US renaissance

 

New figures released today show that British music is enjoying increasing success in the US, with 75 UK albums topping the 100,000 sales mark in the US in 2004, compared with just 66 in 2003.

 

The news comes just weeks after Coldplay’s third album X&Y entered at number 1 with first-week sales of 739,000, which in turn follows hot on the heels of big-selling albums from Oasis and Gorillaz.

 

Coldplay’s third studio album was also the first British album to simultaneously top both the US and UK charts since the Beatles 1 collection in 2000.

 

 “We have not seen anything like it for a decade,” said BPI chairman Peter Jamieson. “From Coldplay to Oasis, Dido to Gorillaz, Lostprophets to Franz Ferdinand, British music is on the march.”

 

And Jamieson announced that the BPI is to prioritise the US in its international strategy in order to make the most of the opportunity. “We need to capitalise on the growing openness to UK music,” said Jamieson.

 

Earlier this year, US music trade magazine Billboard led with the cover story ‘The British are Coming’. Now new BPI research – based on an analysis of the Top 5,000 best-selling albums and Top 5,000 most played tracks on US radio - confirms improving prospects for British music in the US:

 

> 75 UK albums topped the 100,000 sales mark in the US in 2004, compared with just 66 in 2003

 

> Rod Stewart had the best-selling UK album in the US in 2004, but he was followed in the rankings by new talents like Franz Ferdinand, Lostprophets, Keane and Snow Patrol.

 

> Dido’s White Flag was the most played UK track on US radio last year, played over 201,000 times

 

> The cumulative audience for British music on US radio last year was over 446bn (total plays x the audience for those plays).

 

“Music is still one of the UK’s great exports,” said Jamieson. “We are by far the biggest exporter of music outside the US. We export many times more music to the US than the rest of Europe put together.”

 

 

US market placed at the core of the BPI’s international agenda

 

Reflecting the new opportunities in the US, the BPI has announced that the US is to be one of its two priority territories – alongside Japan – and will be the focus of a concerted campaign.

 

“We have to make the most of this new opportunity,” said International Manager Matt Glover.

 

Following the successful BPI-led and UKTI-assisted mission to this year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) convention in Austin, Texas, and its mission last month to the E3 games summit in Los Angeles the BPI is making its third trip to the US this year with a mission to coincide with the College Music Journal (CMJ) convention in October.

 

“Our missions to the US have been very successful,“ said Glover. “Bands have been signed, labels have scored distribution and, just as importantly, the UK business is beginning to build an ever-increasing network of contacts.”

 

Top 40 UK Artist Albums in USA 2004, Sales

 

1, Stardust - Great American Songbook Vol. 3, Rod Stewart, (J), 1,207,703

2, Great American Songbook Vol. 2, Rod Stewart, (J), 814,173

3, Franz Ferdinand, Franz Ferdinand, (Epic), 778,229

4, 1, The Beatles, (Capitol), 708,982

5, Life For Rent, Dido, (Arista), 696,293

6, A Rush Of Blood To The Head, Coldplay, (Capitol), 669,730

7, Start Something, Lostprophets, (Columbia), 629,180

8, Me & Mr Johnson, Eric Clapton, (Warner Bros), 593,024

9, Great American Songbook Vol. 1, Rod Stewart, (J), 575,436

10, Permission To Land, The Darkness, (Atlantic), 559,958

11, Dark Side Of The Moon, Pink Floyd, (Capitol), 551.362

12, The Soul Sessions, Joss Stone, (S Curve), 545,222

13, *Back In Black, AC-DC, (Epic), 455,085

14, Early Days & Latter Days, Led Zeppelin, (Atlantic), 432,951

15, Greatest Hits, Queen, (Hollywood), 399,572

16, Greatest Hits, Elton John 1970-2002, (Island), 388,474

17, Hopes & Fears, Keane, (Interscope), 387,014

18, Mind, Body & Soul, Joss Stone, (S Curve), 373,065

19, The Voice, The Very Best Of, Rod Stewart, (Warner Bros), 369,498

20, Patience, George Michael, (Epic), 356,484

21, Seal IV, Seal, (Warner Bros), 344,085

22, Jump Back, The Best Of The, Rolling Stones, (Virgin), 304,411

23, The Cure, The Cure, (Geffen), 298,442

24, Sacred Love, Sting, (A&M), 297,082

25, Number Ones, The Bee Gees, (Polydor), 288,202

26, Final Straw, Snow Patrol, (A&M), 277,784

27, Absolution, Muse, (Warner Bros), 269,918

28, Best Of, David Bowie, (Virgin), 267,262

29, Forty Licks, The Rolling Stones, (Virgin), 259,938

30, Parachutes, Coldplay, (Capitol), 257,495

31, * Live, AC-DC, (Epic), 253,357

32, Vault - Greatest Hits, Def Leppard, (Island), 248,371

33, Peachtree Road, Elton John, (Universal), 241,049

34, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club..., The Beatles, (Capitol), 227,104

35, Lennon Legend, John Lennon, (Capitol), 219,462

36, Hits, Phil Collins, (Atlantic), 217,911

37, Best Of, Sade, (Epic), 216,147

38, Mamma Mia, Original London Cast, (Decca), 210,808

39, Best Of, Van Morrison, (Universal), 209,308

40, Greatest, Duran Duran, (Capitol), 205,397

 

Source: Nielsen Soundscan

 

 

Top 40 UK Airplay Tracks in USA 2004, Number of Plays

 

1, White Flag, Dido, (Arista/RMG), 201,140

2, Last Train Home, Lostprophets, (Columbia), 86,623

3, Clocks, Coldplay, (Capitol), 83,110

4, Take Me Out, Franz Ferdinand, (Domino/Epic), 77,900

5, Love’s Divine, Seal, (Warner Bros), 72,235

6, Scandalous, Mis-Teeq, (Reprise), 71,562

7, Thank You, Dido, (Arista), 58,807

8, Wake Up (Make A Move), Lostprophets, (Columbia), 47,885

9, Every Breath You Take, The Police, (A&M), 47,854

10, I Believe In A Thing Called Love, The Darkness, (Atlantic), 46,090

11, Come Down, Bush, (Trauma), 39,290

12, In The Air Tonight, Phil Collins, (Atlantic), 35,185

13, *You Shook Me All Night Long, AC-DC, (Atlantic), 34,597

14, Can’t Stop Loving You, Phil Collins, (Atlantic), 33,728

15, Time Is Running Out, Muse, (Warner Bros), 30,722

16, If You’re Not The One, Daniel Bedingfield, (Island), 29,903

17, Machinehead, Bush, (Trauma), 29,864

18, Creep, Radiohead, (Capitol), 28,989

19, Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This), Eurythmics, (RCA), 28,929

20, Somewhere Only We Know, Keane, (Interscope), 28,605

21, Sunrise Duran, Duran, (Epic), 27,941

22, Run, Snow Patrol, (A&M), 27,902

23, Kiss From A Rose, Seal, (Sire), 27,758

24, Red Red Wine, UB40, (A&M), 27,388

25, Wonderful Tonight, Eric Clapton, (Polydor), 27,386

26, Nobody, Skindred, (Bieler), 27,380

27, *Sober, Tool, (Volcano), 27,023

28, In Your Eyes, Peter Gabriel, (Wtg), 26,932

29, Glycerine, Bush, (Trauma), 26,866

30, *Back In Black, AC-DC, (Atco), 26,804

31, Crazy Train, Ozzy Osbourne, (Epic), 26,705

32, Don’t You (Forget About Me), Simple Minds, (A&M), 26,342

33, Have I Told You Lately, Rod Stewart, (Warner Bros), 25,941

34, Forever Young, Rod Stewart, (Warner Bros), 25,884

35, Tears In Heaven, Eric Clapton, (Reprise), 25,808

36, *Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, The Police, (A&M), 25,785

37, Song 2, Blur, (Virgin), 25,770

38, Another Brick In The Wall, Pink Floyd, (Columbia), 25,178

39, Pour Some Sugar On Me, Def Leppard, (Mercury), 24,575

40, Paranoid, Black Sabbath, (Warner Bros), 24,544

 

Source: Nielsen Music Control

 

 

> Artist albums buck high street downturn

 

Although media reports have suggested a dramatic slow-down in the high street retail sector, the UK albums market only saw a modest decline of 1.7% in the second quarter of 2005.

 

While compilations suffered a 14.2% downturn, the strong release schedule towards the end of the second quarter lifted artist albums by 2.2% on 2004.

 

Strong new releases from Coldplay, Oasis and Gorillaz, which arrived later in the quarter, have all have sold well, with British singer-songwriter James Blunt’s debut Back to Bedlam and a greatest hits package from top selling dance acts Basement Jaxx and Faithless also in the top ten.

 

April-June 2005 – Album Sales

 

Artist Albums

 

2004 | 24,593,846

2005 | 25,137,810

% Change | 2.2%

 

Compilations

 

2004 | 7,688,321

2005 | 6,599,399

% Change | -14.2%

 

Total Albums

 

2004 | 32,282,168

2005 | 31,737,210

% Change | -1.7%

 

Source: The Official UK Chart Company

 

The Crazy Frog single sold in excess of 450,000 copies across all formats in the second quarter, with the top three all selling in excess of a quarter of a million copies.

 

As reported earlier in this report, the ongoing revival for the seven inch single plus the emergence of legal downloads and gains in DVD singles have all contributed to a 52.4% rise in single-track sales.

 

Music DVD also saw a modest rise 3.9% in sales during the second quarter, with classic artists dominating the top ten. BMG-issued Elvis by the Presleys topped the list.

 

BPI Chairman Peter Jamieson said: “It’s been a good quarter for the recorded music business, even though the major releases occurred towards its end. This is testament to the fact that despite difficult market conditions, British music is as popular as ever.”

 

Top Ten Albums, Quarter 2 (April-June) 2005

 

1, X & Y, Coldplay, (Parlophone)

2, Don't Believe The Truth, Oasis, (Big Brother)

3, Back To Bedlam, James Blunt, (Atlantic)

4, Forever Faithless - The Greatest Hits, Faithless, (BMG)

5, The Singles, Basement Jaxx, (XL Recordings)

6, Trouble, Akon, (Universal Island)

7, Demon Days, Gorillaz, (Parlophone)

8, Now That's What I Call Music 60, Various Artists, (EMI Virgin/UMTV)

9, In Your Honour, Foo Fighters, (BMG)

10, Employment, Kaiser Chiefs, (B Unique/Polydor)

 

Top Ten Singles, Quarter 2 (April-June) 2005

 

1, Axel F, Crazy Frog, (Gut)

2, (Is This The Way To) Amarillo, Tony Christie ft Peter Kay, (UMTV)

3, Lonely, Akon, (Universal Island)

4, Feel Good Inc, Gorillaz, (Parlophone)

5, Signs, Snoop Dogg/Wilson/Timberlake, (Polydor)

6, Switch, Will Smith, (Polydor)

7, Don't Phunk With My Heart, Black Eyed Peas, (Polydor)

8, I Like The Way, Bodyrockers, (Mercury)

9, Ghetto Gospel, 2pac ft Elton John, (Polydor)

10, Lyla, Oasis, (Big Brother)

 

Top Ten DVDs, Quarter 2 (April-June) 2005

 

1, Elvis By The Presleys, Elvis Presley, (BMG)

2, Family Jewels, AC/DC, (Sony Music Video)

3, Live At Wembley Stadium, Queen, (Parlophone)

4, Born To Boogie, Marc Bolan & T-Rex, (Sanctuary)

5, Live In Concert, Thin Lizzy, (ILC Video)

6, Who Put The M In Manchester, Morrissey, (Sanctuary)

7, Greatest Video Hits - 1, Queen, (Parlophone)

8, Legends In Concert, Dean Martin, (GMVS)

9, On Fire - Live At The Bowl, Queen, (EMI/Parlophone)

10, Love Metal Archives - Vol 1, Him, (BMG)