Women rule the charts as Taylor Swift takes charge
Female artists spent 31 out of 52 weeks at No1 last year as US megastar continues path to global domination
WOMEN dominated the charts more than ever in 2023 as Taylor Swift tightened her grip on the global music industry.
The American singer-songwriter claimed fourth position in the official UK best-selling singles chart last year with her song Anti-hero, while Cruel
Summer also made it into the top 20. Swift also had the second and thirdbest-selling albums of the year for Midnights and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) respectively.
The 34-year-old has soared to new heights as she pushes ahead with plans to re-record all her albums to secure ownership of the rights.
This is alongside the star’s global Eras tour, which has become the first to generate more than $1billion in ticket sales and propelled the singer to billionaire status.
The multi-grammy award-winning artist has become a cultural phenomenon, accumulating a huge following of fans known as “Swifties”.
Her success spearheaded a record year for women as female artists topped the charts for longer than ever before.
Female artists held the No 1 slot for 31 out of 52 weeks in 2023 – the most since records began in 1952.
Women also claimed seven of the top 10 best-selling singles and more than half of the top 20, according to figures from the BPI, which represents record labels.
Miley Cyrus topped the singles year-end charts with her hit Flowers, while UK stars such as Ellie Goulding, Raye and Pinkpantheress featured in the top 10.
Hits from international artists including SZA, Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo also ensured the dominance of female singers.
Dr Jo Twist, BPI chief executive, said: “Whilst work continues towards achieving full representation for women across the music industry, 2023 has been a brilliant year for women in the official charts.
“There is a more diverse range of recording artists than ever achieving great success with the backing of their labels.
“This should be celebrated, but without complacency, and our work in the music industry continues to ensure that this becomes the norm.”
The boom for female artists came as UK music consumption rose 10 per cent in 2023 to 183 million albums, marking the ninth consecutive year of growth.
This was driven by the growing popularity of streaming, which hit a record high of almost 180 billion streams – nearly double the number in 2018.
Streaming now makes up around 88 per cent of the UK music market. However, physical formats have continued to enjoy a renaissance in recent years.
Vinyl sales grew at their fastest pace this decade, with 6.1 million units sold last year. It is the highest figure since 1990 when releases by Phil Collins, Elton John and Madonna were among the best-sellers.
Arctic Monkeys also made it into the top 10 with their album AM, first released in 2013, thanks in part to strong vinyl sales.
Canadian singer-songwriter The Weeknd secured the year’s best-selling album with The Highlights.
‘It has been a brilliant year for women with a more diverse range of recording artists than ever’