The BBC team behind Glastonbury recently spoke about the impact for artists in their Music Week cover story. Now their confidence in the power of the TV coverage has been proved right with the first sales results from the Official Charts Company following the festival.
The return of Glastonbury after two years has delivered a sales and streaming bonanza for the headline acts.
The Killers’ Direct Hits compilation surged 66-5, following their well-received Saturday headline slot on the Pyramid stage. Direct Hits (Vertigo/Virgin EMI) moved 7,498 copies last week – a week-on-week increase of 323.4%. There was a fairly equal split for the weekly sale across physical (28.8%), downloads (33.5%) and streams (37.7%).
The band’s debut Hot Fuss re-entered at No.39 (2,367 sales). The Killers’ streaming perennial Mr Brightside also returned to the singles chart at No.54 (9,923 equivalent sales).
Stormzy’s debut Gang Signs & Prayer (Merky) moved 73-14 on sales of 5,079 (up 234.1%) following a triumphant debut as a headliner. The growth in sales for the UK grime star was driven by streams (52.35% of weekly ‘sales’). Current single Crown edged up to No.4 with a 15.7% week-on-week increase in units to 41,656.
Fellow headliners The Cure also returned to the Top 20 with their Greatest Hits (Fiction/Polydor), up from No.131 to No.19. Sales increased week-on-week by 252.9% to 3,635, with streaming leading the way (45.5% of the weekly total).
The obvious Glastonbury winner is Kylie Minogue, whose big TV ratings for her Sunday ‘legends’ slot ensured that her Step Back In Time collection (BMG/Rhino) opened at No.1 (31,980 sales). However, the sale was skewed towards physical (25,992 units, including 5,682 vinyl copies). The album had already registered strong sales ahead of her performance at Worthy Farm.
As revealed in Music Week’s charts analysis, other albums to receive a Glastonbury boost included Dave’s Psychodrama (40-27, 3,124 sales), Lizzo’s Cuz I Love You (111-43, 2,289 sales), Sucker Punch (123-53, 1,919 sales) by Sigrid and Wanted On Voyage (80-55, 1,825 sales) by George Ezra. Ezra’s sophomore album Staying At Tamara’s rebounded 15-10 (5,344 units). Lizzo’s track Truth Hurts climbed from 60 to 42, a sales increase of 37.5%.
Billie Eilish’s debut, When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, edged up 6-4 with consumption jumping 30.31% to 9,428 units. The US singer made her UK festival debut on the Other stage.
Lewis Capaldi, who played a secret show before a full set on the Other Stage at Glastonbury, saw his debut album dip to No.2. But Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent (EMI) still registered an 18.4% weekly sales increase (22,490 units).
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