Mumford & Sons are back in the charts around the world with new album, Delta.
The Music Week cover stars hit No.1 in the US and opened at No.2 in the UK, with sales of 58,239. As revealed in the latest issue, it was a tight race for second place with Little Mix, as streaming at almost 10% of the total helped Mumford & Sons stay ahead. Lead single Guiding Light also returned to the Top 50.
Here, Guillermo Ramos, VP, marketing, Island Records UK, takes Music Week inside one of the year’s biggest campaigns for a UK rock band…
Delta’s been well received as a comeback album…
“We’re super excited by it, for the boys it’s a really personal record and for us we see it as one of those career-defining moments.”
Is Island happy with the record’s performance so far?
“We’re extremely happy. The fact that we were up against some very formidable Q4 performers is kind of by the by a little bit, because we’ve always approached this campaign as being about what is the best thing for Mumford & Sons. What’s the best thing for this record, and how can we create the most moments around it? So there’s a big tour that’s underway that started the same day as the album was released. The tour is certainly going to drive Delta forward.
“There have been a lot of promotional looks that have happened in the run-up to the album, and there’s also more to come before Christmas. We’re extremely encouraged and excited by the reception and by the sales volume to date. It’s great to see the albums market having that kind of volume at the top. That’s encouraging in and of itself.”
Are you surprised by how well the album did on streaming in week one?
“They have always streamed well and it’s great to see that that’s going to continue to play a very important role in the life of this record.”
Can Delta continue to sell strongly throughout Q4?
“We certainly hope so and we are feeling confident in terms of the approach to Christmas. They’re going to be on the road [in the UK] right through to December, there’s going to be a lot of profile from elsewhere - things are absolutely flying over in the States as well. It’s the biggest alternative album [week one sales] volume for the year. We’ve approached the entire campaign not from a UK perspective but from a global perspective.”
To read Music Week’s report on the big Q4 sales week pick up the latest issue - or subscribers can click here. To subscribe and never miss a big industry story click here.
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