TOP SELLERS: STATE OF PLAY IN U.K.

The U.K.’s best-selling Official Albums and Singles lists of the year so far are in with Warner Music ruling thanks to The Greatest Showman soundtrack (Atlantic) and six Top 10 singles; Universal has the #1 single with Drake.

There are no new British-born debuts in the Top 40 albums tally, but Sony's George Ezra (Columbia) charts at #3 with his second release, Staying at Tamara’s.

This time last year, debuts from Rag’n’Bone Man and Stormzy had reached #2 and #8 on the best-sellers list, respectively. Alongside Ezra, the only other album released this year from a British act in the Top 10 is Arctic Monkeys with Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (Domino) at #7.

Overall, there are six British-born Top 10 entries on albums, and 4-1/2 on singles (the half counts for Marshmello’s feature on Anne-Marie’s “Friends”). Collectively, the Top 5’s album sales are down nearly 50% on 2017. If you take away the 1m+ sales lead last year’s mid-year #1, Ed Sheeran’s Divide (Atlantic), has on The Greatest Showman, the collective sales tally is still down more than 25%. Thanks to Sheeran's runaway singles success last year, collective Top 5 single sales are also down by over 30%.

Max Lousada’s Warner Music U.K. has continued its success streak into 2018 after ruling 2017 with Sheeran, whose Divide is the second-best selling album of this year, 346k behind Greatest Showman which is nearing 1m sales with 931k at #1. WMG holds the #2, #4, #5-7 and #10 spots on 2018’s top-selling singles list.

Universal U.K. claims the best-selling single so far with Drake’s “God’s Plan” (Island) by notching up 1.2m combined sales. It’s also the most-streamed song of 2018 with 111m plays. That joins one other UMG single in the Top 10, another Drake release, “Nice for What,” at #8. The label has three albums in the Top 10: Beerbongs & Bentleys from Post Malone (Island) with 152k at #5, The Thrill of it All by Sam Smith (Capitol) at #6 and Eminem’s Revival (Polydor) at #8.

Sony U.K. has three albums in the Top 10: Staying at Tamara’s by George Ezra at #3 on 273k, Human by Rag’n’Bone Man (Columbia) at #7 and Beautiful Trauma by Pink (RCA) at #10. The label also has the #3 single thanks to smash “One Kiss” by Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa (Columbia).

ALBUMS

1. The Greatest Showman soundtrack (Atlantic)
2. Divide, Ed Sheeran (Atlantic)
3. Staying at Tamara’s, George Ezra (Columbia)
4. Dua Lipa, Dua Lipa (Warner Bros.)
5. Beerbongs & Bentleys, Post Malone (Island)
6. The Thrill of it All, Sam Smith (Capitol)
7. Human, Rag’n’Bone Man (Columbia)
8. Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, Arctic Monkeys (Domino)
9. Revival, Eminem (Polydor)
10. Beautiful Trauma, Pink (RCA)

SINGLES

1. “God’s Plan” Drake (Island)
2. “These Days” Rudimental, Jess Glynne and Macklemore (Atlantic)
3. “One Kiss” Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa (Columbia)
4. “This is Me” Greatest Showman (Atlantic)
5. “Perfect” Ed Sheeran (Atlantic)
6. “IDGAF” Dua Lipa (Warner Bros.)
7. “Feel it Still” Portugal, The Man (Atlantic)
8. “Nice for What” Drake (Island)
9. “Freaky Friday” Lily Dicky f/Chris Brown (BMG)
10. “Friends” Marshmello & Anne-Marie (Atlantic)