After Years of Warnings About the Artist’s Decline, British Acts Have Disappeared from the Global Bestsellers Chart

British Acts Miss Out in 2024

The acts from Great Britain have failed to make it onto the world annual charts for the 10 best bestsellers or albums in 2024.

According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) as reported by BBC News, no home-grown artists appear on the lists this year, following Benson Bun’s announcement of “Beautiful Things” as the number one song and Taylor Swift’s “Department of Inquisitive Poets” as the best-selling album of the year.

Albums by Coldplay, Charli XCX, and Dua Lipa also failed to feature in any list. The highest-ranking British artist was Artemas, who placed 15th with “I Like How You Kiss Me” in the global “Unprofiting Single” chart.

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The lists were overwhelmingly dominated by US acts, including Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, and Kendrick Lamar.

Billie Eilish. Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation Entertainment

This marks the first time since 2003 that British acts have not appeared in one or both of the top ten lists.

Concerns Over British Music Industry

David Martin from the Image of Artists recently noted that the diminishing presence of British artists signals troubles within the talent pipeline, suggesting these issues aren’t due to a lack of talent. “This is not a fixed situation, but it should serve as a canary in the coal mine for the British music industry,” he expressed to NME.

Martin emphasized the importance of the entire ecosystem working together to boost activity, urging large arenas and promoters to anticipate this challenge. “We all must be very concerned. The share of Great Britain in the global music market has decreased from 17 percent to 10 percent over the last seven years; it raises red flags for the industry,” he noted.

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Martin pointed out that urgent attention is needed on issues related to streaming revenue, the impact of Brexit on touring, and the regulation of AI.

Global Best-Selling Albums and Singles of 2024

The global best-selling albums of 2024 include:

Taylor Swift – “Department of Inquisitive Poets”
Billie Eilish – “Hit is Strong and Soft for Me”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Short N ‘Sweet”
Enhypen – “Romance: Untroad”
SZA – “Sos”
Seventeen – “Pour Feelings”
Morgan Wallen – “One Thing at a Time”
Seventeen – “17 Right Here”
Noah Kahan – “Control Seasons”
Wandering Children – “Ate”

The global singles of 2024 were:

Benson Bun – “Beautiful Things”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Espresso”
Teddy Floats – “Lose Control”
Billie Eilish – “Birds of the Pen”
Shaboozey – “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
Housekeeper – “Too Cute”
Post Malone – “I Had Some Help” (feat. Morgan Wallen)
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
Taylor Swift – “Cruel Summer”
Noah Kahan – “Control Seasons”
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