BPI chief Geoff Taylor has declared music to be the UK's "international calling card" after new research showed British music accounted for 13% of all music consumed worldwide in 2017.
Top-selling albums by the likes of Ed Sheeran, Rag’N’Bone Man, Sam Smith - and classic acts including The Beatles and Roger Waters - are credited with boosting the figures, compiled by the BPI.
The UK's 12.9% share of global consumption is up on 2016's share of 12.5% and is in line with the trends of the past seven years, although it falls short of the peak of 2015 (17.1%), inspired by Adele's 25.
BPI and BRIT Awards CEO Taylor said: “British artists and their music continue to inspire fans all around the world. This country has innovative, risk-taking labels that invest heavily in the best of British talent, promoting home-grown artists to global audiences on fast-growing streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music.
'In 2017, we maintained our exceptional share of the world’s listening, consolidating our position as the second most successful music nation on earth, exporting more music than any country after the US. As Britain begins to chart its new course in international trade, it’s not idle hyperbole to claim that music has truly become Britain’s international calling card.”
The BPI conducted a market analysis of album sales in 11 of the leading 15 music markets of the world, including the US, Japan, Germany, the UK and France.
British artists accounted for just under half (48.2%) of all UK album sales. and were responsible for well over a fifth (22.1%) of consumption across Europe. In North America, UK acts were responsible for over 1 in 8 album purchases in the US and nearly 1 in 6 sales in Canada. In Australia the figure was 24.9%.
Markets such as Japan and South Korea continue to be dominated by their own local repertoire, while estimated share in emerging territories such as China and India also remains relatively small. The BPI has partnered with fellow music body AIM and with the Department for International Trade (DIT) to host successful trade missions in the latter two countries over the past 12 months.
