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British bands, America, you know, yeah, that, hurrah!
By Chris Cooke | Published on Thursday 7 May 2015
Records from UK artists accounted for almost one in eight of all the albums sold in the US last year. Take that America. We’ve got you hooked. And Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran, Coldplay and One Direction might look harmless, but you just wait.
The BPI reckons that British artists also did rather well in Canada last year (15.3% of the album market), but I’m waiting for CMU’s Andy Malt – currently on a jolly at Canadian Music Week – to confirm that. Because he definitely said it wasn’t a jolly and he was going to analyse the Canadian music market in rigorous detail. That and catch up with Marsha.
Anyway, here’s BPI boss Geoff Taylor, not in Canada but being rigorous: “British artists well and truly flew the flag in the world’s biggest and most competitive music market last year. The sensational achievements of Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran, One Direction and the entire Class Of 2014 demonstrate once again that the UK’s music industry is a worldbeater”.
Want more? We got more: “The creative industries are the most important source of jobs and growth for the UK economy. The incoming Government should act swiftly to boost further investment in British music, by extending creative tax credits so that more albums and music videos are produced here in the UK. This will create exciting new jobs for young people and further strengthen the UK’s reputation as a leading creative nation”.
