Rock regains status as UK’s most popular genre on album format


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The success of releases from acts such as Arctic Monkeys and Jake Bugg has helped rock regain its status as the UK’s most popular genre on the album format.

Big sellers courtesy of Adele and Emeli Sande pushed pop to the top of the tree as far as albums are concerned in 2011 and 2012, but 40% of the 10,000 best selling records in the UK during last year were classified by the Official Charts Company as ‘rock’, enough to see the genre become once again the leading light of the longer format.

“While the appeal of pop remains consistent, the popularity of rock music tends to ebb and flow a little more, reflecting as it does the excitement that can quickly build around new acts as they burst through,” Gennaro Castaldo of the BPI says.

“With Arctic Monkeys now taking on near-iconic status, and the likes of Jake Bugg and Bastille to name a few connecting with a new generation of fans, rock music looks set to enjoy another wonderfully vibrant period.”

Despite this rise, the five best selling albums of 2013 in the UK were pop orientated – these being Emeli Sande’s ‘Our Version Of Events‘, One Direction‘s ‘Midnight Memories‘ and three ‘Now That’s What I Call Music‘ compilations.


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