EMI is still on top in the label market shares.
According to Official Charts Company data, the Universal Music UK label finished at No.1 for the first six months of 2024. EMI, headed by co-presidents Rebecca Allen and Jo Charrington, has now been at No.1 for 11 successive quarters.
EMI won the Record Company trophy at the Music Week Awards.
The latest results have EMI on top with an 11.1% market share in the crucial All Music All Albums consumption measurement. The label was a full percentage point ahead of nearest rival RCA and was also ahead of its own share at the same point last year (10.9%).
EMI has seen success so far this year with Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department (No.1 overall for the first six months with staggering consumption of 542,206), as well as the US star’s catalogue.
In addition, Lewis Capaldi’s two albums continue to stream well for the label (both achieved consumption of just over 72,000 and sit together at No.32 and No.33), along with key catalogue titles such as Queen’s Greatest Hits and The Killers’ Rebel Diamonds. Morgan Wallen is another US star who’s delivering for EMI with current album One Thing At A Time.
During the past six months, the label has had No.1 albums from Swift (seven non-consecutive weeks and possibly an eight this week), Capaldi and The Libertines, who made No.68 overall in Q2 with All Quiet On The Eastern Esplenade (27,849). It’s also launched the debut by Caity Baser and made a global impact with Mae Stephens.
EMI also retained its title as the No.1 streaming label for the half-year with a 10.9% market share for Track Streams and consumption up 11% year-on-year – ahead of the overall market.
However, Sony Music’s RCA label group is chasing hard to reclaim its streaming crown with a 10.7% share for the first half of 2024. Furthermore, RCA has some momentum as it was No.1 for Track Streams during the Q2 period (11% share versus 10.9% for EMI).
RCA had a 10.1% market share based on the All Music All Albums measurement, little changed from the same result at this point last year.
Over the past six months, the label has seen success with Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter album – No.16 overall in 2024 with 109,566 sales and the fourth biggest album released this year. Albums by SZA, Travis Scott and Little Mix also continue to stream well.
RCA also had big singles in 2024 including Beyonce’s Texas Hold Em (No.6, 740,026 sales), as well as Tyla’s Water and Miley Cyrus’ perennial Flowers.
In the form of Myles Smith, RCA also has a UK breakthrough star. Stargazing is currently pushing for the Top 5 in the singles chart.
Polydor is in a strong third place in the market shares with 9.4% based on the All Music All Albums measurement. The Universal Music UK label’s overall consumption growth is ahead of the market, up 15% year-on-year. That market growth is replicated on Track Streams for Polydor, with a share of 9.7% compared to 9.3% a year earlier.
Polydor has had a great run in the singles chart with Sabrina Carpenter, whose huge hit Espresso is No.4 overall (762,894) for the half-year. 2023 single Feather and current No.1 Please Please Please also make the Top 100.
In the albums chart, Polydor have had three No.1 albums, including Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard And Soft (No.5 for the half-year, 157,331 sales) and new releases from Elbow and Gracie Abrams. Music Week cover star Becky Hill achieved her highest charting album to date with a No.3 debut for Believe Me Now,
The label is also looking ahead to potentially one of the biggest albums of the year with Eminem’s The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) out this month. Lead single Houdini is at No.50 overall in 2024 (298,943 units) after just five weeks on the chart.
Island has also been on a roll in 2024 including huge success with Noah Kahan, The Last Dinner Party, Ariana Grande. The label won the A&R trophy at the Music Week Awards.
For the first six months, Island has an 8.1% market share of All Music All Albums (up from 7.4% at this point last year) with incredible year-on-year growth in consumption of 19%. In terms of Track Streams, Island is at 8.4% (up from 7.9% a year ago).
Island has the No.2 album for the year to date with The Weeknd’s The Highlights (220,740 sales), as well as the No.3 album with Noah Kahan’s Stick Season (197,825). The Stick Season single is the biggest track of the year so far (1,369,696 sales), while Hozier’s global smash Too Sweet is at No.5 (749,114).
The Last Dinner Party’s No.1 debut album Prelude To Ecstasy is No.36 overall for the year to date (68,885 sales).
Island is also seeing a huge breakthrough for Chappell Roan, including the single Good Luck, Babe and the album The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess, which is pushing for a new chart peak in the Top 5.
Warner-Parlophone, now a combined operation on the market shares, is at No.5 with a 7% share of All Music All Albums. There is now comparison with last year as the labels were previously separate entities.
Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism was the sixth biggest album of Q2 (84,338 sales), a result which makes it No.26 overall so far this year. The Glastonbury headliner and recent Music Week cover star also has multiple singles in the rankings for the year to date, including Houdini (No.22, 418,014 units) and Training Season (No.31, 356,930).
Warner Records has also made a huge streaming impact with Benson Boone, whose Beautiful Things single is No.3 overall (1,007,429 sales).
Sony Music’s Columbia label is No.6 in the market shares with a 5.9% share. The label’s biggest hits this year have been Prada by Casso, Raye & D-Block Europe (No.7, 662,904 units) and Tate McRae’s Greedy (No.10, 588,403 units), both via the Ministry Of Sound imprint.
Columbia is also building up to a new album project from Central Cee, whose Band4Band with Lil Baby made No.32 in Q2 (221,291 units).
Atlantic is No.7 overall for the first six months with a 5.5% market share. The Warner Music UK label has only just dropped some key releases for 2024, including Twenty One Pilots’ Clancy (No.29 in Q2, 46,312) and Charli XCX’s Brat (No.28, 46,415). Although Charli XCX missed out on No.1, Brat secured the biggest opening sale of her career.
The label’s biggest seller so far this year is Teddy Swims’ I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy – Part 1 (73,455 sales).
Atlantic is also seeing consistent streaming success with Joel Corry.
The rest of the Top 10 rankings is made up of the catalogue labels – Universal Music Recordings (No.8, 2.5% share), Rhino (No.9, 2%) and Sony Music CG (No.10, 2%) – as classic recordings continue to take up chart positions based on consistent streaming.
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