Classical music consumption in 2018 increased by more than a tenth on the previous year, as stated by the BPI in new figures released this week. Sales and streams of classical music have grown by 10 per cent in the past year, outperforming the overall 5.7 per cent rise in UK music consumption as a whole.
The rise in classical music consumption was primarily driven by a 6.9 per cent increase in the sales of CDs, which account for nearly 60 per cent of the UK’s classical music. Streaming now accounts for 25.2 per cent of classical music consumption, which is an increase on previous years but is still lagging behind other musical genres. The BPI has suggested that this could be as a result of the difficulties in search functions on streaming platforms.
The combined sales of the top-30 albums increased by 69 per cent on 2017, showcasing the wide-reaching success of albums including Andrea Bocelli’s Si and In Harmony by Aled Jones and Russell Watson, which were the two best-selling classical recordings this year.
Sheku Kanneh-Mason’s appearance at the Royal Wedding helped put classical music on a wider stage, with his debut album Inspiration reaching the top of the classical charts for 14 weeks.
Ludovico Einaudi was the most popular classical artist on streaming platforms, accounting for 8.6 per cent of all classical music streams. This was closely followed by a handful of film music composers.
