British artists including Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and One Direction dominate the list of the Top 10 Global Recording Artists of 2014, according to the British Phonographic Industry.
While Taylor Swift claims the top spot with six million copies of her album 1989 sold worldwide, British acts make up half the ranking. One Direction takes the #2 spot, followed by fellow Brits Ed Sheeran and Coldplay at #3 and #4 respectively. British rock band Pink Floyd comes in at #7 and Sam Smith ranks #8.
As well as Pink Floyd, it’s great to see classic artists AC/DC at #5 followed by a posthumous appearance by Michael Jackson at #6.
The report by the BPI, the trade body which represents the U.K.’s record labels, revealed that British acts accounted for 13.7% of albums sold around the world — just over one in every seven. That’s the highest figure recorded since the BPI started collecting data back in 2010.
Earlier this month, the BPI reported that U.K. acts like Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran, Coldplay and One Direction accounted for a large chunk of U.S. album sales last year.
Top 10 Global Recording Artists 2014
Pos. Artist Album Album sales * Nationality
1. Taylor Swift 1989 6.0m USA
2. One Direction Four 3.2m UK
3. Ed Sheeran X 4.4m UK
4. Coldplay Ghost Stories 3.7m UK
5. AC/DC Rock Or Bust 2.7m UK/Australia
6. Michael Jackson Xscape 1.7m USA
7. Pink Floyd The Endless River 2.5m UK
8. Sam Smith In The Lonely Hour 3.5m UK
9. Katy Perry Prism 1.2m USA
10. Beyoncé Beyoncé 1.4m USA
Source: IFPI (positions based on worldwide album sales, track sales and streams. * Album sales include physical and digital formats)
