MARKETSHARE RACE IN THE U.K. UPDATE

Max Lousada’s Warner Music is the biggest improver in the U.K.’s marketshare stakes year-to-date, up 0.7% on 2015 to 17.7%, while the gap between Jason Iley’s Sony Music and David Joseph’s Universal is growing closer.

The figures are calculated using the AES (Album Equivalent Sales) metric, which was devised earlier this year. That comprises physical and digital album sales (including compilations and budget) and track equivalent albums (where 1k streams = one album).

Sony is up 0.3% year-on-year to 22.5% while Universal sits at 35.1%, down 1.3% on 2015. The indies (and BMG) take a 24.7% share, up 0.3%.

At the individual label level, Ted Cockle’s Virgin EMI is once again label champ at 11.3%, up 0.2%, followed by Colin Barlow’s RCA Label Group at 8.4%—the biggest improver up 0.8%—then Darcus Beese’s Island is at 7.0% (down 0.5%) while Phil Savill's Sony Music CG stays at 6.9% and Tom March and Ben Mortimer’s Polydor clocks in with 6.3% (down 0.4%).

You’ll find the 2016 YTD figures alongside the standalone numbers for Q3 in the charts below.