British artists account for seven of the top 10 biggest albums of the year so far, Music Week analysis of Official Charts Company figures can reveal.
The company released its album chart for the first half of 2016 earlier today (Thursday, July 7th), and the top 10 has a distinctly British feel to it.
Topping the list is Adele’s 25, which has amassed combined chart sales of 523,000 for the first six months of the year. This figure includes physical and digital purchases, as well as streaming equivalent sales.
Discounting streams that 25 has accumulated since it was added to Spotify and Apple Music in June, the album has passed the three million sales mark, becoming one of only 26 albums in history to do so. Her second album 21 also features in the Top 40 at No 29.
The late David Bowie features at No. 2 for 2016 so far with Blackstar, while compilation Best Of Bowie appears at number five. Blackstar has combined sales for the year of 362,884 and is one of only three albums released in 2016 to make the top 10 – the others being Beyonce’s Lemonade (252,000 sales) and Drake’s Views (211,00 sales).
Bowie also has three other albums in the top 40 - Nothing Has Changed (No. 15), Hunky Dory (No. 34) and The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust (No. 37).
Other British entries to feature in the top 10 include Coldplay’s A Head Full Of Dreams (287,443 sales), Little Mix’s Get Weird (186,4400 sales) and James Bay’s Chaos And The Calm (175,484).*
Combined sales of British albums in the top 10 amount to 1.82 million for the first six months of 2016.
The top 10 albums of 2016 so far are as follows:
1. Adele - 25 - 523,000 sales
2. David Bowie - Blackstar - 362,884 sales
3. Justin Bieber - Purpose - 353,993 sales
4. Coldplay - A Head Full of Dreams - 287,443 sales
5. David Bowie - Best Of Bowie - 285,229 sales
6. Jess Glynne - I Cry When I Laugh - 257,053 sales
7. Beyonce - Lemonade - 252,013 sales
8. Drake - Views - 211,857 sales
9. Little Mix - Get Weird - 186,440 sales
10. James Bay - Chaos And The Calm - 175,484 sales
Earlier this week the Official Charts Company revealed Britain’s top 60 biggest selling albums of all time as part of its 60th anniversary celebrations.
* These sales figures are for 2016 so far, not total sales.
