- By Mark Savage
- BBC Music Correspondent
Flowers was Miley Cyrus’s first primary since 2014
Feminine artists had a report yr on the UK singles chart, spending probably the most weeks at primary since data started in 1952.
For 31 out of 52 weeks, feminine acts topped the chart both as solo artists or in collaboration with different musicians.
Miley Cyrus had the most important track of the yr, with the break-up anthem Flowers attracting 198 million streams.
However new music was largely absent from the yr’s prime 10 best-selling albums.
The Weeknd’s two-year-old biggest hits compilation The Highlights was at primary, with Taylor Swift’s 2022 album Midnights in second place.
New data by Lewis Capaldi, Olivia Rodrigo and Ed Sheeran have been all outsold by “better of” collections from Elton John, Eminem, Fleetwood Mac and Abba.
The one new launch within the prime 10 was Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Model) – however even that was a re-recorded and repackaged model of an album from 2014.
Prime 10 albums of 2023
- The Weeknd – The Highlights (2021)
- Taylor Swift – Midnights (2022)
- Taylor Swift – 1989 (Taylor’s Model) (2023)
- Elton John – Diamonds (2017)
- Harry Types – Harry’s Home (2022)
- Fleetwood Mac – 50 Years: Do not Cease (2018)
- Eminem – Curtain Name: The Hits (2005)
- SZA – SOS (2022)
- Arctic Monkeys – AM (2013)
- Abba – Gold: Best Hits (1992)
Watch: What’s subsequent for Taylor Swift in 2024?
The sample was repeated, to a lesser extent, within the singles chart – with throwback hits like The Killers’ Mr Brightside and Tom Odell’s One other Love nestling alongside newer tracks by Calvin Harris, SZA and Harry Types
The reason being easy: with many years of music accessible on the contact of the button, individuals gravitate in direction of the classics.
Nevertheless, that makes it tougher for brand new music to make an influence, elevating the query: the place will the classics of tomorrow come from?
Based on knowledge from the British Phonographic Business (BPI), Miley Cyrus’s Flowers was the one track launched in 2023 to be licensed double platinum.
Meaning it racked up 1.2 million “chart models” – a measure that mixes streams, downloads and bodily gross sales.
No different report reached that milestone.
Within the albums market, not one of the yr’s new releases have been well-liked sufficient to be awarded a platinum disc, representing 300,000 gross sales.
Ten years in the past, 14 albums hit that mark. In 2003, the determine was 51.
Music author Patrick Clifton not too long ago recognized that statistics like these added as much as a “disaster” for the British music business.
Picture supply, Parlophone Information
Ice Spice and PinkPantheress translated TikTok virality into one of many yr’s largest hit singles
“A brand new era of artists shouldn’t be constructing fanbases that may purchase gig and competition tickets in two, 5, or 10-years’ time, and isn’t popularising songs that may have ubiquity in our tradition as soon as this era of music followers reaches previous age,” he wrote on Medium.
The artists who succeed, he argued, are those that are capable of domesticate a “two-way” relationship with followers on social media, and “do not thoughts revisiting songs from their repertoire if these songs blow up”.
The year-end charts partially mirror this shift, with artists like PinkPantheress and David Kushner translating viral success into real-world achievements.
Prime 10 singles of 2023
- Miley Cyrus – Flowers
- Dave & Central Cee – Sprinter
- Raye ft 070 Shake – Escapism
- Taylor Swift – Anti-Hero
- Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding – Miracle
- Rema ft Selena Gomez – Calm Down
- SZA – Kill Invoice
- PinkPantheress ft Ice Spice – Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2
- Harry Types – As It Was
- Libianca – Individuals
In the meantime, superstars like Miguel and The Weeknd took missed album tracks into the charts for the primary time after they resurfaced on TiKTok.
The so-called “lengthy tail” impact additionally signifies that older songs will proceed to generate streams after their preliminary chart run.
To that impact, 9 hits from 2022 racked up their millionth “sale” in 2023, together with Eliza Rose’s dance anthem BOTA (Baddest Of Them All), George Ezra’s Inexperienced, Inexperienced Grass and Sam Smith’s duet with Kim Petras, Unholy.
Picture supply, Getty Photos
Vinyl continues to develop in reputation – however extra CDs are bought, with field units offering an important income stream to the business
One fascinating side-effect of the shift in music habits is that the vinyl charts – as soon as the protect of collectible classics – now appear extra up-to-date than the primary album countdown.
Seven of the highest 10 vinyl albums have been new releases. Taylor Swift’s 1989 was the best-seller, adopted by The Rolling Stones’ critically-acclaimed comeback Hackney Diamonds.
New music from Olivia Rodrigo, Blur and Lewis Capaldi additionally made the highest 10, alongside the perennial best-sellers Rumours, by Fleetwood Mac, and The Darkish Facet Of The Moon, by Pink Floyd.
Total, demand for music continued to develop, with a report 179.6 billion songs streamed within the UK.
Greater than 6 million vinyl data have been bought, the best complete since 1990. Ten million albums have been bought on CD, and cassette gross sales topped 100,000 for a fourth consecutive yr.
However streaming dominates the UK’s music habits, now accounting for 87.7% of the market, in comparison with 63.6% 5 years in the past.
The BPI stated 2023 was a “landmark” yr for girls, with seven of the highest 10 best-selling songs that includes feminine acts.
“This must be celebrated, however with out complacency,” stated Jo Twist, the organisation’s chief govt.
“Our work within the music business continues to make sure that this turns into the norm.”
2023 was a yr of iconic returns: From *NSYNC to Furby, Women Aloud to Grand Theft Auto, Madonna to Frasier.