Big selling albums from the likes of Adele and Mumford & Sons have helped British acts enjoy their best year of sales in the US for a decade.
BPI figures released today show albums issued by UK artists accounted for 11.7% of all sales in the States during 2011, a total not bettered since 2002.
Unsurprisingly, Adele’s ‘21‘ leads the way for the UK, having sold a massive 5.6 million last year. Mumford & Sons’ debut ‘Sigh No More‘ was a distant second, but still sold a highly impressive 1.4 million units. Adele’s own debut ‘19‘ was the fourth highest seller of 2011, with 850,000 copies shifted.
Overall, 56 of the top 100 charted albums in the US last year came from British acts, meaning even with Adele’s sales not taken into account, the UK would have still enjoyed its best year in America since 2007.
Top 10 UK albums sold in US:
1/ Adele – ’21’
2/ Mumford & Sons – ‘Sigh No More’
3/ Coldplay – ‘Mylo Xyloto’
4/ Adele ’19’
5/ Florence and the Machine – ‘Lungs’
6/ Susan Boyle – ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’
7/ Florence and the Machine, “Ceremonials” – 414,000
8/ Marsha Ambrosius – ‘Late Nights and Early Mornings’
9/ Radiohead – ‘The King of Limbs’
10/ The Beatles – ‘1’