Pop music outsold its rock counterpart for the second year in a row during 2012, according to latest figures released by the BPI.
2011 saw albums of the pop genre account for 33.6% of all sales during that year, in comparison with a 29.4% share for rock – the first time in seven years the former had outsold the latter in the UK.
And now, thanks to big selling records from the likes of Emeli Sande, One Direction and Ed Sheeran, pop again reigns supreme albeit with a slight drop on last year’s figures. Despite trailing pop, the rock genre did enjoy an increase year-on-year during 2012 due largely because of high profile LPs from bands such as Coldplay and Mumford & Sons, recording a 31.3% share throughout last year.
“British music fans’ love affair with pop music continued in 2012, fuelled by strong album releases from home-grown talent,” BPI chief executive Geoff Taylor has said. “But there is good news for rock fans too, with the genre fighting back to its strongest performance since 2008.”