Image credit: NPR

Britain rules the streams as its artists dominate the streaming market.

Artists such as Dua Lipa, Coldplay, and The Beatles have contributed to the British record industry earning an impressive £519.7 million in overseas earnings last year, the highest figure recorded. 

New data from the BPI (British Phonographic Industry) shows that music export revenues in 2020 grew by 6% in 2019, aided by the “explosive growth of music streaming”. 

The BPI also confirmed that 1 in 10 tracks streamed across the globe are by UK artists, with 300 British artists having 100 million streams or more. 

Dua Lipa was the standout artist who recorded the biggest British hit of the year with ‘Don’t Start Now’, which was streamed 1.62 billion times in total. Her second album ‘Future Nostalgia’ was also a standout with it being the 10th best-seller of the year. 

Harry Styles also had similar success with his second album ‘Fine Line’ being the worlds fifth best-selling album of 2020. 

Speaking on the new data Geoff Taylor, Chief Executive of the BPI and BRIT Awards, said: “The explosive growth of music streaming around the world represents an unprecedented opportunity for British music.“With global competition intensifying, now is the time to push hard, to actively promote our artists to a global audience and maximise our share of global growth, with artists such as Dua Lipa, Harry Styles, Lewis Capaldi, Stormzy, The 1975 and Mabel, among many others, now leading the way alongside the likes of Ed Sheeran Adele, Coldplay and Arctic Monkeys. 

Adding: “As the UK builds back from Covid-19 and forges its future as an independent trading nation, music can play a pivotal cultural and economic role. We call on Government to seize the moment and make music a champion of our global trading ambitions.”