UK commerce physique the BPI has put out stats this week exhibiting the rising market share of the impartial sector within the UK final yr.
BPI studies that the collective share of music consumption within the UK attributable to impartial labels rose to 26.9% in 2021, up from 25.9% in 2020.
In the meantime, the indie label share of artist album gross sales grew from 30.4% in 2019 to 34.2% in 2021, whereas indies’ share of the UK vinyl market reached 39.5% final yr, up from 33.9% in 2019.
BPI studies that its evaluation, primarily based on Official Charts Firm knowledge and brought from its All In regards to the Music 2022 annual yearbook, exhibits “that independently launched music is prospering” within the UK.
And it’s.
Scratch beneath the floor, nonetheless, and there’s no hiding the affect that non-frontline / catalog releases had on these numbers… to not point out the worldwide blockbuster advertising and marketing spend of a serious document firm (Sony Music) on Adele in 2021.
Out of the Prime 5 finest performing albums in 2021, in response to BPI’s stats, three (60%) had been launched not less than six years in the past.
The UK’s No.1 impartial album (when it comes to gross sales plus streaming) in 2021 was AM, the 2013-released fifth album from British rock superstars Arctic Monkeys (Domino).
Arctic Monkeys haven’t launched an album since 2018’s Tranquility Base Resort & On line casino.
The second greatest promoting impartial album within the UK in 2021 was the XL Recordings-released 25, the blockbuster third album from British megastar Adele, which got here out in 2015.
(XL has the rights to Adele’s first three albums globally ex-North and South America, the place they undergo Sony Music.)
Adele’s second album, 21, was the fifth greatest promoting indie album in 2021.
It was launched by XL within the UK over a decade in the past in 2011, when it topped the charts in additional than 30 nations and have become the world’s best-selling album of the yr for each 2011 and 2012.
Adele’s newest album, 30, is signed globally to Sony Music, and acquired a large world advertising and marketing marketing campaign from the main in This autumn final yr. That advertising and marketing marketing campaign drove consciousness of Adele, together with her again catalog benefitting from this promotional push.
Certainly, in a press launch issued by BPI, the UK org says that Adele’s 21 and 25, launched in 2011 and 2015, respectively, “powered the success of the [independent] sector” in 2021.
Solely two of the UK’s Prime 5 impartial albums final yr had been launched in 2021: KSI’s All Over The Place (BMG, at No.3) and Central Cee’s Wild West (Central Cee, at No.4).
In sixth place was one other Arctic Monkey’s launch, their debut album, No matter Individuals Say I Am (That’s What I’m Not), (Domino Recordings), launched 16 years in the past, in 2006.
The rest of the Prime 10 finest performing impartial albums chart revealed by BPI is occupied by releases from 2021: Wolf Alice’s third album Blue Weekend (Soiled Hit) at No.7, Bo Burnham’s tragi-comedy album Inside (The Songs) (Imperial) at No.8, and AJ Tracey’s second album, Flu Sport (Revenge Data), at No.10.
Sitting at No.9 was Again The Method We Got here Vol.1 (Bitter Mash) a compilation album from Noel Gallagher’s Excessive Flying Birds, launched in 2021, however made up of songs launched between 2011-2021.
Solely one of many Prime 10 finest performing indie albums within the UK final yr, Central Cee’s Wild West, was a debut album launched in 2021.
Official Unbiased Albums Chart 2021 Prime 10 © Official Charts Firm
- Arctic Monkeys, AM (Domino Recordings)
- Adele, 25 (XL Recordings)
- KSI, All Over The Place (BMG)
- Central Cee, Wild West (Central Cee)
- Adele, 21 (XL Recordings)
- Arctic Monkeys,No matter Individuals Say I Am (That’s What I’m Not)(Domino Recordings)
- Wolf Alice, Blue Weekend (Soiled Hit)
- Bo Burnham, Inside (The Songs) (Imperial)
- Noel Gallagher’s Excessive Flying Birds, Again The Method We Got here Vol.1 (Bitter Mash)
- AJ Tracey, Flu Sport (Revenge Data)
Catalog’s domination of the most important impartial information of final yr within the UK wasn’t restricted to albums, both.
Trying on the Prime 10 finest performing impartial singles within the UK in 2021, the BPI’s newly-published stats reveal that fifty% of them had been launched not less than six years in the past.
In truth, three out of the ten, together with Adele’s XL Recordings-released 2011 hit singles Rolling In The Deep (No.9) and Somebody Like You (No.3), in addition to Passenger’s 2012 hit Let Her Go (No.10) (Nettwerk) had been launched not less than a decade in the past.
Arctic Monkeys additionally scored two of the Prime 10 finest promoting indie singles in 2021, together with Do I Wanna Know and Why D’you Solely Name Me When You’re Excessive (Domino Recordings), each taken from their 2013 album AM, and which positioned at No.6 and No.7 respectively.
The highest performing impartial single within the UK market final yr was KSI’s Vacation (BMG) and the second best-selling single was Tom Zanetti’s Didn’t Know (SIC), each launched in 2021.
Central Cee singles Dedication Points and Loading had been the fourth and fifth best-performing impartial single within the UK final yr (see beneath).
Official Unbiased Singles Chart 2021 Prime 10 © Official Charts Firm
- KSI, Vacation (BMG)
- Tom Zanetti, Didn’t Know (SIC)
- Adele, Somebody Like You (XL Recordings)
- Central Cee, Dedication Points (Central Cee)
- Central Cee, Loading (Central Cee)
- Arctic Monkeys, Do I Wanna Know (Domino Recordings)
- Arctic Monkeys, Why D’you Solely Name Me When You’re Excessive (Domino Recordings)
- Shouse, Love Tonight (Onelove Recordings)
- Adele, Rolling In The Deep (XL Recordings)
- Passenger, Let Her Go (Nettwerk)
Geoff Taylor, Chief Government BPI, BRIT Awards & Mercury Prize, mentioned: “The UK has an enviable impartial music scene, and enhances selection and selection to new and current British expertise.
“The UK has an enviable impartial music scene, and enhances selection and selection to new and current British expertise.”
Geoff Taylor BPI, BRIT Awards & Mercury Prize
“This continued development demonstrates that indie labels and artists are thriving within the age of music streaming, and are notably succeeding within the vinyl revival.
“We’re delighted to see the indie sector going from power to power, contributing to the expansion of the UK music trade as a complete.”
Music Enterprise Worldwide
