The resurgence in independent music continued last year with a fourth consecutive year of growth, according to new figures published by BPI, the UK association of independent and major record labels, in its annual yearbook ‘All About The Music 2022’.
Independent labels’ share of the UK music market grew to just under 27% in 2021, while their share of artist album sales was even higher at 34%, with number one records from Wolf Alice, Mogwai and KSI helping to account for around 40% of all vinyl LP purchases.
With independent artists like Central Cee, KSI & AJ Tracey also boasting hundreds of millions of streams in the UK alone, and Arlo Parks securing both the Mercury Prize and a BRIT Award, it made for a strong year for the sector
That trend looks to be continuing into 2022, with the likes of Wet Leg, The Wombats, Stereophonics and Central Cee seeing the share from independent artists continue to grow.
The BPI insights are based on Official Charts Company data and are taken from ‘All About the Music 2022’ – the 43rd edition of the BPI Yearbook, which is published today. The strong performance reflects a particularly successful year for independent artists, with 60 independent albums charting in the Official Albums Chart Top 10. The enduring appeal of independently-released albums that are now seen as ‘classic’ is shown as AM, the 2013 Arctic Monkeys record, was the biggest-selling independent album of 2021, while Adele’s 21 and 25 also continued to sell strongly.
Geoff Taylor, Chief Executive BPI, BRIT Awards & Mercury Prize, said: “The UK has an enviable independent music scene, and enhances choice and variety to new and existing British talent. This continued growth demonstrates that indie labels and artists are thriving in the age of music streaming, and are particularly succeeding in the vinyl revival. We’re delighted to see the indie sector going from strength to strength, contributing to the growth of the UK music industry as a whole.”
The official top ten Independent Albums from 2021 was -
1. Arctic Monkeys - AM (Domino Recordings)
2. Adele - 25 (XL Recordings)
3. KSI - All Over The Place (BMG)
4. Central Cee - Wild West (Central Cee)
5. Adele - 21 (XL Recordings)
6. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am (That’s What I’m Not) (Domino Recordings)
7. Wolf Alice - Blue Weekend (Dirty Hit)
8. Bo Burnham - Inside (The Songs) (Imperial)
9. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds - Back The Way We Came Vol.1 (Sour Mash)
10. AJ Tracey - Flu Game (Revenge Records)
