After topping the UK Albums Chart twice in the space of three weeks with Rick Astley and Blink 182 (pictured), BMG is now challenging the British major labels in market share rankings.
In the last chart week, BMG claimed a 12.27% market share of the Top 75 artist albums share by record company, according to statistics printed in UK trade magazine Music Week.
That’s twice as big as WMG label Atlantic (6.12%), and ahead of Sony imprint RCA (9.03%), UMG labels Island (9.36%), Virgin EMI (8.34%) and Polydor (4.16%), as well as Warner Bros (5.39%).
It’s thought to be the first time in at least a decade that BMG has led in records marketshare.
On Friday, the label had a No.1 in both the US and UK with Blink 182’s California. Earlier in June, Rick Astley pipped Sony talent Tom Odell to the top albums spot in the UK with 50.
The 12.27% is driven by sales from the Blink 182 and Astley albums, plus The Essential Collection by Gilbert O’Sullivan, released on June 10th.
If you add in Bat for Lashes, whose The Bride is licensed to Parlophone but owned and A&Rd by BMG, that stat rises to over 15%.
In March, BMG also had success with James’ Girl at the End of the World, which hit No.2 on the UK Official Albums Chart.
“When a company comes along doing something new, There’s always someone keen to talk you down. this week BMG has the biggest chart share of any UK company, No one can be in any doubt that we can deliver.”
alexi cory-smith, bmg
SVP at BMG UK, Alexi Cory-Smith, told MBW: We’re obviously incredibly proud. When a company comes along doing something new – in our case records and publishing under one roof, a real commitment to do the right thing by artists – there’s always someone keen to talk you down.
“So when You Me At Six went to No.1 [in 2014] it was a ‘fluke’ or we were publishers playing at the record business. Now we’ve had two more ‘flukes’ in a month, and this week BMG has the biggest chart share of any UK company. That’s a good feeling. No one can be in any doubt now that BMG can deliver.
“We know it’s still early days in records, but we’ve got a great line-up of releases for the fourth quarter, a great team, and a clear ambition to be as successful in records as we are in publishing.”
BMG re-launched as an independent under Bertelsmann’s ownership in October 2008, having sold off its stake in a major joint venture to Sony Music.
It has since acquired some of publishing’s most notable catalogues including Bug, Cherry Lane, Stage Three, Chrysalis, Primary Wave, Virgin Music and Talpa.
In recordings it has built a portfolio which includes classic catalogues from Sanctuary, Mute, Dreyfus and Skint/Loaded as well as renowned indies like Infectious, Union Square, Vagrant and Rise Records.
Last week, it snapped up one of Australia’s best-known independent publishers and labels, Alberts.Music Business Worldwide
