http://c0903002.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/6532-macklemore_and_ryan_lewis_thrift_shop_420x250.jpg

 

By Daniel Lane

 

Thanks to Macklemore and Taylor Swift, singles sales are up 3.9% year-on-year, while Emeli Sande and Now! That’s What I Call Music 84 have helped the UK’s albums market grow by 1.4%.

 

Sales of recorded music in the UK got off to a flying start during the first Quarter of 2013, according to new Official Charts Company data.

 

While 2012 was the biggest year for singles sales in the then 60 year history of the Official Singles Chart, 2013 could eclipse that with sales up by 3.9% during Quarter 1 compared to the same period last year.

 

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ Thrift Shop FT Wanz is the biggest selling single of 2013 so far, with sales of over 510,000 copies (up to March 30 of this year). Taylor Swift’s I Knew You Were Trouble is in second place, with sales of 432,000 copies, followed by Justin Timberlake’s Mirrors (427,000), Will.I.Am’s Scream And Shout FT Britney Spears (408,000) and Rihanna’s Stay FT Mikky Ekko (370,000).

 

Total singles sales during Quarter 1, 2013 were 48.5 million, compared to 46.7 million during Q1, 2012. To illustrate the massive growth of the singles market, the Quarter 1 total is greater than the singles sales total for the whole of 2005, when just 47.9m singles were sold.

 

The UK’s albums market also saw strong growth, with sales of CDs and digital album downloads up 1.4% year-on-year.

 

Emeli Sande’s Our Version Of Events is 2013’s top selling artist album so far, with sales of 385,000 during Quarter 1 (1.77 million overall). While Now! That’s What I Call Music 84, the latest instalment of the hit compilation series, is the biggest selling compilation of 2013 so far, and the second biggest selling album overall. Total albums sales during Q1, 2013 were 23.3 million, compared to 23 million in Q1, 2012.

 

The Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Singles Of 2013 are as follows:

 

1 THRIFT SHOP MACKLEMORE AND RYAN LEWIS FT WANZ

2 I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE TAYLOR SWIFT

3 MIRRORS JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

4 SCREAM & SHOUT WILL.I.AM FT BRITNEY SPEARS

5 STAY RIHANNA FT MIKKY EKKO

6 ONE WAY OR ANOTHER (TEENAGE KICKS) ONE DIRECTION

7 WHEN I WAS YOUR MAN BRUNO MARS

8 JUST GIVE ME A REASON P!NK FT NATE RUESS

9 I COULD BE THE ONE AVICII VS NICKY ROMERO

10 DRINKING FROM THE BOTTLE CALVIN HARRIS FT TINIE TEMPAH

11 IMPOSSIBLE JAMES ARTHUR

12 POMPEII BASTILLE

13 CLOWN EMELI SANDE

14 WHITE NOISE DISCLOSURE FT ALUNAGEORGE

15 SUIT & TIE JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE FT JAY Z

16 GET UP (RATTLE) BINGO PLAYERS FT FAR EAST MOVEMENT

17 LOCKED OUT OF HEAVEN BRUNO MARS

18 HO HEY THE LUMINEERS

19 HARLEM SHAKE BAAUER

20 GANGNAM STYLE PSY

21 WHAT ABOUT US THE SATURDAYS FT SEAN PAUL

22 DON'T STOP THE PARTY PITBULL FT TJR

23 DIAMONDS RIHANNA

24 TROUBLEMAKER OLLY MURS FT FLO RIDA

25 KISS YOU ONE DIRECTION

26 DON'T YOU WORRY CHILD SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA FT JOHN MARTIN

27 BASSLINE JUNKIE DIZZEE RASCAL

28 EXPLOSIONS ELLIE GOULDING

29 MY LIFE 50 CENT FT EMINEM AND ADAM LEVINE

30 SKYFALL ADELE

31 BENEATH YOUR BEAUTIFUL LABRINTH FT EMELI SANDE

32 READY OR NOT BRIDGIT MENDLER

33 DIE YOUNG KE$HA

34 TRY P!NK

35 CANDY ROBBIE WILLIAMS

36 ANIMAL CONOR MAYNARD FT WILEY

37 CHANGE YOUR LIFE LITTLE MIX

38 ARMY OF TWO OLLY MURS

39 I WILL WAIT MUMFORD & SONS

40 MY SONGS KNOW WHAT YOU DID IN THE DARK FALL OUT BOY

 

The Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Artist Albums Of 2013 are as follows:

 

1 OUR VERSION OF EVENTS EMELI SANDE

2 LES MISERABLES MOTION PICTURE CAST RECORDING

3 JAKE BUGG JAKE BUGG

4 UNORTHODOX JUKEBOX BRUNO MARS

5 18 MONTHS CALVIN HARRIS

6 BABEL MUMFORD & SONS

7 THE 20/20 EXPERIENCE JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

8 THE NEXT DAY DAVID BOWIE

9 OPPOSITES BIFFY CLYRO

10 UNAPOLOGETIC RIHANNA

11 THE TRUTH ABOUT LOVE P!NK

12 BAD BLOOD BASTILLE

13 TAKE ME HOME ONE DIRECTION

14 RIGHT PLACE RIGHT TIME OLLY MURS

15 RUMOURS FLEETWOOD MAC

16 RED TAYLOR SWIFT

17 FALL TO GRACE PALOMA FAITH

18 HALCYON ELLIE GOULDING

19 + ED SHEERAN

20 EVERY KINGDOM BEN HOWARD

21 THE LUMINEERS THE LUMINEERS

22 GRAFFITI ON THE TRAIN STEREOPHONICS

23 SOME NIGHTS FUN.

24 HOLY FIRE FOALS

25 AN AWESOME WAVE ALT-J

26 THE GOLDEN AGE OF SONG JOOLS HOLLAND & HIS R&B ORCHESTRA

27 THE VERY BEST OF NEIL DIAMOND

28 NOTHING BUT THE BEAT DAVID GUETTA

29 ORA RITA ORA

30 NUMBER 3 THE SCRIPT

31 UP ALL NIGHT ONE DIRECTION

32 BORN TO DIE LANA DEL REY

33 WHAT ABOUT NOW BON JOVI

34 21 ADELE

35 GIRL WHO GOT AWAY DIDO

36 GIRL ON FIRE ALICIA KEYS

37 DNA LITTLE MIX

38 DO YOU WANT THE TRUTH OR SOMETHING PALOMA FAITH

39 ALL THAT ECHOES JOSH GROBAN

40 PASSIONE ANDREA BOCELLI

 

The Official Top 10 Biggest Selling Compilation Albums Of 2013 are as follows:

 

1 NOW! THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 84

2 THE TREVOR NELSON COLLECTION

3 NOW! THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 83

4 ANTHEMS - 90S

5 BRIT AWARDS 2013

6 DREAMBOATS & PETTICOATS - DREAM LOVERS

7 BBC RADIO 1'S LIVE LOUNGE 2012

8 POP PARTY 10

9 CALL THE MIDWIFE - THE ALBUM

10 ANTHEMS - HIP HOP 3

I doubt it'll last the entire year but it's good to see album sales up on Q1 2012.

I bet it would be weird to the public to see so many 2012 albums in the chart, not to mention Fleetwood Mac at #15 with an album from the 70s! :P I second the joy of album sales being up from last years Q1, although not too surprising considering how much higher sales in the weekly Top 10 were in January and February.