Beatles boost overseas music sales

Press Assoc.

More than 30 years after they split up, The Beatles have helped boost sales of British bands abroad.

 

New figures reveal a surge in the number of British albums being sold in Europe last year, with stars like James Blunt, Katie Melua, Robbie Williams and Coldplay leading the way.

 

The statistics from the BPI, the UK recorded music industry association, show the Fab Four also became one of last year's top exports thanks to Love, a remix album of their hits.

 

In 2006, UK acts sold 27 million albums in Germany and France, the world's fourth and fifth largest music markets.

 

British talent accounted for one in five artist album sales in Germany and one in ten in France, the highest figures in four years.

 

Albums by stars like Blunt, Melua, Williams and Coldplay helped boost the UK's share of the German music market to 19.9% from 14.7% in 2005, and the French to 10.7% from 10.2% the previous year.

 

Scottish star Paolo Nutini, Devon trio Muse and rockers Placebo were also big sellers in France, where law dictates that 40% of tracks on national radio must be in the French language, while Depeche Mode and Yusuf Islam, formerly Cat Stevens, were popular in Germany.

 

Love, which has been dubbed the first "new" Beatles album in 26 years, was the fourth-biggest UK seller in both Germany and France. The album contains Beatles tracks remixed by legendary music producer Sir George Martin for the soundtrack from the Las Vegas stage show with Cirque du Soleil.

 

Figures have previously shown albums by UK artists account for more than half of all albums sold in the UK and one in 12 sold in the US.

 

BPI chief executive Geoff Taylor said: "Music is one of the UK's great cultural and economic exports. The fact that UK labels are gaining an increasing share of these major international markets demonstrates the diversity and quality of new British artists."

 

Were you surprised by the success of LOVE or not?

 

 

I took a while to get used to the arrangement of some of the tracks, but the more I played it the more I liked it. So no, I'm not surprised to the success, there is a huge fan base still out there, and there's not a huge amount of competition with todays artists. :D

I really enjoyed the LOVE album and it sounded sensational with it being digitally remastered.

 

Now I'd like to see The Beatles take on Elvis Presley & reissue singles on CD to show "the King" & his fans who are the real "daddies" of popular music. :D

I really enjoyed the LOVE album and it sounded sensational with it being digitally remastered.

 

Now I'd like to see The Beatles take on Elvis Presley & reissue singles on CD to show "the King" & his fans who are the real "daddies" of popular music. :D

 

Better watch what I say or Tilly will string me up, but yes I agree if the Beatles were to reissue they could do well, however in saying that the 20th anniversary releases didn't set the heather on fire.