Homegrown talent helped the UK music industry keep sales over the £1 billion mark last year, pushed to the impressive marker by releases launched by the likes of Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran and Rita Ora.
Full story below…
Though CD album sales fell from 60 million in 2013 to 55 million in 2014, purchases made in support of the acts named above saw the UK music industry pull in £1.03 billion last year.
Published by the ‘British Phonographic Industry‘, this figure comes arm in arm with news that the highest-selling albums in the UK last year were all released by British acts, marking the first time this has happened since the ‘Official Charts‘ were founded in 1997.
On the good news, former BPI chairman Tony Wadsworth shared:
The U.K. recorded music industry invests in a truly global business, as labels continue to find, develop, support and succeed with world class artists making world-class music. Record labels are also at the forefront of the transformation of the creative economy, and our businesses are starting to see sustained growth in a future which benefits creators and consumers alike.
Billboard Biz adds:
In total, Brits listened to 14.8 billion audio streams in 2014, which equates to around 560 streams for every U.K. household and accounted for 12.6% of all music consumed in 2014, up from 6.2% in 2013 when the U.K. annual streaming total stood at 7.5 million streams. According to figures released Jan. 1 by the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), the U.K.’s streaming subscription business climbed 65% in 2014 to total £175 million ($270 million) in retail sales.
Since debuting in 2012, Ora has sold over 3 million singles worldwide, seeing her Iggy Azalea– led cut ‘Black Widow’ surpass sales of 2 million units in the December of last year.
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Flop.
I don’t get the big deal about the ginger guy and don’t get me started on the Power Rangers villain.
If you’re talking about Ed Sheeran, he is super talented, his music is amazing and his voice is amazing.
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Personally, his voice makes me get emotional whenever I put his albums on. I don’t like playing them if I’m in a hurry because once I hit play on the first song, I have to listen to the whole album.
He’s talented but his style is just not for me.
I understand
The ginger guy, has the best album in the uk by far and can singe. sam can sing too but they other one i dont no her.
You don’t know who Rita is? The lies you tell.
Lol at Power Ranger villain. Too bad she can’t make her career grow.
I live in united states, i dont know her.
You don’t know your dad either.
very mature…
LMAO Rita Ora David? And I see no receipt, OK David. This is the new me for a new year so I’ll try to be objective.
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There is no way in hell Rita Ora helped pull in the £1 billion pound figure, maybe you’re talking about Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran, One Direction and Coldplay.
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I doubt Rita Ora even accounted for 1% of total revenue generating consumption in the UK market.
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That said, good quality music is coming from the UK and I am not surprised by this figure. The industry over there is on fire, they have been and are working hard and I cannot wait to see what comes next.
And haters say she’s a flop! Pfft! If the Queen sold 1 single last year it helped go towards the 1 billion so I see no lies in this article.
so it doesn’t matter who is selling one single.
let’s face it – Rihanna released one single and no album. The single sold ok, yes. But she is no way responsible for the high sales…
Rita, not Rihanna…sorry, but Rita is such a carbon copy that i mistook them
Come through with the slayage Rita.
No mention of Cheryl LoCole?
She’s still on her ITV Studios and Lovin It tour.
With those poor X Factor ratings last season, I doubt she’ll be at ITV much longer TBH.
Girl where is nadine? Kiiii!
Who is that?
Her album sold less than Electra Heart, no surprise.
The fact that Rita is slaying like this is just…I can’t even deal with ha coming for my wig like this.
Sam Smith is cool but he acts to trashy on twitter, asking for Chris to be gay for him and showing his ass crack today. Obvs paying homage to Riwhore.
NO F****** RECEIPTS
DELETE MY COMMENT AGAIN TRICK
don’t be mad at me cause you can’t write, ho
I was gonna diss David The Biased for adding Rita to this but then I thought about it, which other chicks are slaying like she is over there.
Jessie has the one song we play here and Cheryl couldn’t get a US release date to save Ashley’s battery charger so she’s really the one doing her damn thing.
Oh shut up b****! He only said her name because they’re friends.
Ellie Goulding slays all three (Jessie J, Rita Ora and Cheryl Cole) and Emeli Sande blows all of them out of the water.
Ellie who? You mean the one who can’t sing live? Last I checked Rita sounds exactly the same live as she does in studio. Can’t the same about Ellie can we?
Last time I checked,
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Halcyon Days: 900K
Ora: 300K
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—>>> _/
Last time I checked Rita can sing live. Any questions besides the one about your missing p**** walls?
I have one, when will Rita go 3x platinum in the UK?
Cheryl never tried for a U.S. release date. Spill the full tea hun. She’s not desperate for us success.
Ok if u gonna spill the tea, spill it properly.
Cheryl tried a career in the US but nobody warmed up to her, like Rita.
So she’s back to the UK and her sales are worse than ever.
Her label wont push for a US release because it would flop worse than Scherzinger’s ‘big fat lie’
Maybe Cheryl will get a mention when she learns to sell albums again. Until then Rita will remain queen of the uk charts and you b****** will remain PRESSDT.
Cheryl could actually slay if she took her music seriously but she doesn’t.
When did Rita snatch this crown you speak of from Ellie Goulding and Emeli Sande?
Rita is more known in the UK than Emeli is darling. Does Emeli have a Rimmel deal? Does Emeli have her own Adidas line? No the f*** she does not so be gone!
Are you kidding me, Emeli Sande’s Our Version of Events sold 1 million+ in the UK, no way is Rita Ora seeing those sales.
You didn’t answer my question b****. If Emeli is so popular where are her endorsement deals?
She doesn’t need endorsements, she makes her money from HER MUSIC, of which her one album has sold over 1 million in the UK, Rita Ora will never see those sales over there.
LB don’t be delusional. Rita is the bigger brand. And cheryl is the best performer out of all the UK girls. Let’s “be objective” hun.
Lol, Ed Sheeran is good to listen to when you’re in a certain mood. I don’t like Sam Smith in any mood, I’m really shocked that he broke out the way he did. With good management and a little payola you can do anything! Talking of Payola, Rita only had 1 single last year which she bought to number 1. That’s why she’s scared to release that second single and album, she needs to save up to buy her next number 1 whist using The Voice for promo. TGJ still trying to make her happen 3 years on.
Tamera Foster will snatch her remaining fan base anyway
Tamera Foster?! I CANNOT! How can she find the time to slay Rita when she’s too busy stealing hairbands from Claire’s Accessories.
Tamera Foster has got Simon Cowell’s machine behind her. Your girl better hold on to her edges over there where it’s the only country she is slightly relevant, Tamera is coming for those edges
Lol, Simon has had that girl in hiding for so long planning her debut. She’s coming like a meteor, All if any of Rita’s rusty bots will go extinct!
I really wonder how much Rita pays David for this kind of plugging?
Lol, 3 million singles. Rita Over 2nd album has been delayed more than X by Chris Brown.
I would say Rita’s biggest expense is paying David to hype her up like this. He must cost her a fortune.
And yet Rita only released ONE new song in 2014 but can still get #1 and sell 1 billion is amazing. 2015 is gonna be an even bigger year for her.
I am going to assume this is shade
I saw someone say Tamera ‘Teef’ Foster was coming for Queen Rita’s crown and that made me spit out my £600 a bottle glass of champagne.
Tamera hasn’t even released a single and it’s almost been two years so what makes you think she can catch up with the Queen? Then again, maybe she can STEAL her crown because that’s what she does best, isn’t it.
The Bots will s*** their pants if David decides to promote Tamera like he does Whora. S*** THEIR PANTS I SAY.
They’re already struggling now boo boo.
Tamera has got Simon Cowell’s machine behind her and will be marketed to the same Rita Ora market segment (Rihanna B-sides/Rihanna haters), so best be assured that fickle fan base Rita has, that hype her about will be swept clean by Tamera.
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Rita hasn’t even got a 3x platinum album like Emeli Sande or Ellie Goulding, her fan base is fickle and can be easily socked up.
You tried and you failed b****. Simon’s machine isn’t s*** and you know it, if it was any good why is Alexandra flopping?
Why did JLS break up after five years?
Why did Leona leave him to go to Island?
Why is Labrinth still in Ed and Sam’s shadows?
Tamera can’t sing so she can never beat Rita so keep dreaming darling. Keep dreaming.
Alexandra Burke started flopping when she signed with RCA and decided to release a Donna Summer Z side mess. Plus Alexandra was blacklisted and had no radio support.
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Even still,
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Overcome : 900K
Ora : 300k
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JLS broke up because of their egos, even still, they sold more records than Rita has.
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Leona’s one album has outsold Rita Ora’s entire discography and Labrinth just makes crappy music.
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Otherwise Tamera can sing better than Rita Ora, she is better looking, does not come off as forced and fake like Rita and has got Simon Cowell’s machine behind her. Your girl better hold on to her edges.
And let’s not forget Tamera is better looking and actually has a real boss b**** image unlike the forced one Rita has.
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All she has to do is have Simon slip David a check and Rita is over a done with.
Tamera is not better looking than Rita .
I’ve seen Rita in real life, she looks like a cross between a panda with her bags and and an upset dog with that pout.
I’ve been waiting for my girl to slip him a check since last year.
The irony is that Simon has done more for Rita than he’s done for Tamera so who is really slaying who?
Rita Ora’s budget for 2015.
Music videos = 1 million.
Hair and make up = 2 million
Travel = 3 million.
Contraception =10 million
David grape juice = 40 million.
She needs to take the money she spends on david and buy herself a hit with it. #Okai
But she’ll never do that because he’s basically the reason any of us know who she is. She should use the contraception money to buy herself some morals if you ask me.
Let’s be objective girls. Rita did nothing for this article, no shade. The men dominated.
“The Men Dominated”- an autobiography by Ashley Cole.
That’s not her husband tho…lol.
Go buy BFL. I think it’s sold 15k?
So Cheryl wasn’t married to him when he put the vibrating cell phone in his ass?
No babe.
Power Ranger villain hhaahahaaa
@Dem Lessors
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Simon is preparing for a meteoric debut with Mzz Tamera, the bots will be in the scrap heap once Simon’s media machine starts working.
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Be prepared to recycle those rusty edges, your girl is not safe
Tamera is cute but is no ella.
Cheryl Soldier is just mad Cheryl made no impact this year. Better luck next time dear.
I’m not mad sis. She made more impact than rita AND snatched her record lmao.
More impact than Rita? Black Widow and IWNLYD says differently.
What impact did IWNLYD and BW have in the UK? Rita made bigger headlines for getting dumped by calvin.
How many units have Only Flopping not sold so far? I can never find an outlet for the numbers.
lets just say it hasn’t even gone silver yet and sliver is 60,000 lmaoooo she’s under 60k
She is silver actually.
Just passed 40K!
Idk where you got those false receipts. It passed that after thanksgiving sis
LMAO The bots are running scared, Simon just oiling that machine because once it goes on, it’ll be like Rita never existed
http://instagram.com/p/v39qzvDLSh/?modal=true
So these dusty p**** thots think Tamera is coming to outperform Rita? I’m confused by this. Isn’t this the same Tamera who can’t even get her label to put her single out? The same one that doesn’t even get her own threads on TGJ? That one? Is that the one you mean?
If it is you can suck my p**** sideways with a straw because IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN.
Honey, the only reason Rita gets posts on this site is because Rita is slipping David a check.
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Plus Tamera is going to outperform Rita
Rita has endorsements with Rimmel.
Tamera steels Rimmel.
#TheDifference
I can see why the bots are shaking in the rusty boots, I mean Calvin blocked his music that Mzz Ora is now working with Will.I.Am (the low standards). It’s been how many months and still no follow up single, or was IWNLYD a buzz single?
Poor Rita. They stay trying to make her happen (as a musician, “fashion icon”, etc) but it always backfires. She was on so many “worst dressed” lists this year and her with the Calvin Harris scandal and Twitter mess…well.
UV gone double copper yet honey?
1.4 million worldwide f*****. Can Shitsinger get a release date outside of the UK? Was Run certified gum wrapper already?
I thought Rita Ora sounded good at the Christmas Festival at the White House…
Not a fan of Rita and her overworked PR machine but I don’t see anything threatening about Tamera Foster either. If she doesn’t bring anything unique and authentic (which I doubt) to the table she will just be another fly by night face that looks like another Beyonce/Rihanna lovechild. She may have a #1 single at most but the GP has had enough of these boring pop tarts. Hence their p*** poor sales in comparson to those with raw, unique talent (UK: Sam Smith, Emelie Sande, Ed Sheeran, Adele etc). The UK like some autheticity to their artists if they are going to have longevity success (something Simon Cowell/X Factor acts struggle with)
Confused -I get the Ed Sheeran , Sam Smith(although Suspect he will pull an Adele a take the money & go into hiding) which is fine since he’s as dull as Adele-but RITA!!!! I know Jessie is TRIPLE Platinum with 1song she’s not mentioned & One Direction (except for Taylor) is the industry right now )aren’t they English??? Who wrote this article ? Apparently someone that drinking the. Def jam tea-all Rita for all her so called ‘Deals’ is hardly a drop in the UK bucket ! All she’s done right is get with the right management & we all know how she accomplished that…. So she does have some talent but singing …not so much:)
Good for her? Anyway, am I the only one who laughs out loud at Rosie shade? Too funny.