Grime music sales soaring

SALES of grime music have almost doubled in the last year, with artists such as Stormzy and Skepta leading the way, figures show.

The Official Charts Company found that the genre was “outperforming the market” when physical sales, digital downloads and plays on streaming services over the last 12 months were taken into account.

Its research showed that, in the year up to May, Stormzy dominated sales with his anticipated debut album Gang Signs & Prayer and singles Big For Your Boots and Shut Up.

Skepta also made a mark, with record Konnichiwa and tracks Shutdown and Man.

The top five albums of the year also included Landlord by Giggs, and Facing Time by Bugzy Malone.

According to the company, album equivalent sales (which combine streaming with physical purchases) rose by 93% in the last year, compared with the overall music market increase of 6%.

Traceable back to the early 2000s, grime artists have seen massive success in recent months, with Skepta claiming the 2016 Mercury Prize for Konnichiwa and Kano shortlisted for two Brit awards.

Stormzy’s Gang Signs & Prayer was certified gold after shooting straight to number one in February and, while he was also tipped for a Brit, it was his surprise performance with Ed Sheeran that gripped the nation’s attention on the night.

The study shows around 410,000 grime album sales, 1.3 million track downloads and 1.5 billion track plays on streaming services over the last year.