U.K. Year-End Charts Topped by Adele, Ed Sheeran, ABBA Albums; Consumption Grows, but at a Slower Pace

Adele, Ed Sheeran, ABBA and Olivia Rodrigo had the top albums of 2021 in the U.K., according to a new survey of the year in music released by the BPI, based on Official Charts Company data. The overall news was positive for the record industry in Europe, with an asterisk: Streaming was up a fairly healthy 5.7% for 2021 over the previous year. But overall consumption was at 2.5%, a modest figure compared to the far greater leap of 8.2% in 2020, and 7.5% the year before that. Still, the BPI, the consortium of labels in the U.K., had plenty… Read Full Article