An in-depth new study from the BPI has found that many more British artists are thriving at home and around the world thanks to streaming.
Drawing on Official Charts Company data from the UK and global data from Luminate, The New Music Democracy: How More Artists Are Succeeding From Streaming gives a comprehensive overview of music streaming in the UK last year. The market hit a record 159.3 billion audio streams in 2022, and streaming represented an unprecedented 86.1% of recorded music consumption in the UK in 2022, compared with 36.4% in 2016.
The study comprises charts, data, research and analysis about the UK’s streaming market, and reveals for the first time how many streams the year’s biggest hits each achieved, how many artists reached key streaming thresholds, and which artists had the most streams overall. It also reveals that more than 1,000 UK artists accumulated at least 20 million audio streams of their music globally in 2022 – around 15% more than in 2021, according to data from Luminate.
While the report reveals superstars like Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles and Dua Lipa led the charge on the global music market, many hundreds of British artists from every genre and era saw worldwide streaming numbers in the tens of millions. A number of these artists have achieved some success at home, but have a significant following in overseas markets. These include the North Yorkshire rock band Asking Alexandria, who have landed three Top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 chart in the US; Liverpool-born, Toronto-based Banners, who has achieved several Billboard rock hits; Scottish-American singer-songwriter Bishop Briggs, who scored a top three US alternative hit; and Northampton singer-songwriter Bruno Major, who has enjoyed success in Europe, North America and Australia.
They were among 200 UK artists who achieved at least 200 million global audio streams last year, while 400 surpassed 100 million audio streams around the world, according to data from Luminate.
The New Music Democracy: How More Artists Are Succeeding From Streaming is available here.
Sophie Jones, BPI Chief Strategy Officer and Interim Chief Executive, says, 'Streaming has changed the face of music – enabling artists to connect with fans at home and around the world in ways never possible before, and with consumers also able to enjoy unprecedented choice and affordability. It is heartening to see this new research showing so many artists achieving such huge success in streaming, encompassing many less well-known names as well as global superstars. With record labels delivering improvements in areas such as transparency and deal terms, as the market continues to adapt and evolve, their biggest contribution remains essential investment to develop and support artists.'
'Based on the evidence provided in this report, the task in front of all of us – policymakers and the wider music community – is clear: continued music growth and the benefits for all can only be achieved by enabling an environment where labels are supported in doing what they do best – investing in creative potential, nurturing talent and producing the great music we all love that enriches our daily lives and helps the UK to excel as a great music-creating and exporting nation.'
