The Brit Parade
Queen and Elton sell well in 2020 as Capaldi is No 1
MUSIC lovers turned to classics from Queen, Sir Elton John and Fleetwood Mac to cope with the pandemic.
British artists had many of the 10 best- selling albums of 2020, with Queen’s Greatest Hits at No 8 just ahead of Sir Elton’s Diamonds.
Top of the Brit parade was 24- yearold Lewis Capaldi with Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent, then Harry Styles, 26, with Fine Line. Billions of fans also tuned in to British stars Dua Lipa, 25, Ed Sheeran, 29, and Stormzy, 27.
Completing the top 10 were Anglo- US veterans Fleeetwood Mac plus American singer Billie Eilish, 19, and rapper Pop Smoke, 20 – killed in a home invasion in February.
The British Phonographic Industry, recorded music’s trade body, today released Official Charts Company data showing music consumption rose by
8.2 per cent in 2020 with 155million albums streamed or bought as demand rose despite Covid disruption. Interest dipped as lockdown began but fans missing gigs turned to streaming platforms. Even vinyl and cassette sales grew in 2020.
Geoff Taylor, BPI chief executive, called the industry’s performance “remarkable”.
There were 139 billion
audio streams, up by more than a fifth on 2019, with nearly 200 artists achieving at least 100 million. Growth was led by streaming services which make up four- fifths ( 80.6 per cent) of music consumption.
Mr Taylor called on the Government to support music venues to reopen safely and boost the sector.
He said: “Any satisfaction we can take [ from the growth] is tempered by the devastating impact of the pandemic on live music.”