Official chart data shows BMG increased its sales of albums, predominantly physical, in the UK by 10% in the first six months of 2021, a rate seven times greater than the market as a whole.

It follows a string of album chart successes in 2021 with artists including Gabrielle, Mick Fleetwood & Friends, Róisín Murphy, Van Morrison, Gary Numan, Texas, Garbage, and Joan Armatrading.

It comes as KSI vies for the Number One slot in the UK with the release of his second album,All Over The Place, just 14 months after his first album, Dissimulation, became UK’s biggest-selling debut album of 2020. The British YouTuber, professional boxer and hip-hop sensation is signed to BMG’s LA-based rap label RBC Records for recordings and publishing.

BMG’s first half performance in the UK albums market saw it grow at more than seven times faster than the market as a whole.

Alistair Norbury, BMG President Repertoire & Marketing UK, said, “We are committed to offering the very best service to artists wanting to make albums. The sales growth in 2021 clearly demonstrates the appetite from fans to this format. Whether it’s new artists like KSI or legends like Gary Numan or Joan Armatrading, for many music fans and artists, the album remains the definitive recorded music experience. Embracing streaming does not mean you have to turn your back on the album and our A&R and Marketing teams are delivering across both physical and digital.”

Peter Stack, BMG’s London-based EVP Global Catalogue Recordings, said, “While our catalogue is enjoying exceptional growth in streaming, albums will continue to be the backbone of the catalogue market.”

BMG’s first half album highlights in the UK include:

• Gabrielle’s Do It Again, a number 4 hit and her best chart position since Rise in 1999;
• The Mick Fleetwood & Friends live celebration of the work of Peter Green and the early days of Fleetwood Mac reached number three;
• Thunder’s All The Right Noises, a new studio album from the metal legends entered the UK chart at number three;
• Crooked Machine by Róisín Murphy became her best-charting solo album ever, reaching number 14;
• Van Morrison’s Latest Record Project - Vol 1 hit number five performing better than his previous album in the UK – and six other key markets;
• Intruder from Gary Numan, his second number two album with BMG sold nearly twice as many as his previous album;
• Texas’s Hi! Was the band’s best-charting album since 1999, hitting number three;
• Garbage’s number five chart entry No Gods No Masters scored highest UK chart position since 2005;
• Last month Joan Armatrading’s Consequences reached number ten, her best chart position since 1983.

The Midweek Sales Flash has revealed that KSI is soaring straight towards the top of the albums chart this week, outselling the rest of the Top 5 combined: The rapper generated a sales total of over 18,750 copies of his sophomore album All Over The Place, with 11,314 from physical sales. Streams account for 5,325 sales, while downloads make up 2,111 of the totals.