DUA TOPS PPL'S 2020 CHART

Dua Lipa was the most-played artist of 2020 in the U.K. across radio, TV and public performance locations, according to PPL’s annual charts, while The Weeknd scored the year’s most-played track, “Blinding Lights” (Island). 

Two cuts from Lipa’s #1 album, Future Nostalgia (Warner Records)—“Don’t Start Now” and “Physical”—made PPL's Top 10, at #2 and #7, respectively. In addition to topping the overall chart, The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” was the year’s most-streamed song. 

Lipa knocks Ed Sheeran from the top spot, which he's held every year since 2017. He was still the second-most-played artist of the year, mainly due to his strong catalog—“Afterglow” (Atlantic), his only release of 2020, didn’t arrive until late December. 

Ariana Grande was the year’s third-most-played artist. This is the first time she's appeared on PPL’s Top 10 artists chart; her Lady Gaga collaboration, “Rain on Me” (Polydor), was the year’s 10th-most-played track.

PPL detailed last year’s financial and operational results in its annual review, published Weddnesday. In 2020 the PRO collected £225.7m, down 17% from 2019 due to COVID. CEO Peter Leathem said he expects revenues to recover this year to beat 2020 numbers but don't yet exceed pre-pandemic levels.

PPL’s Most-Played Tracks of 2020

1. “Blinding Lights” (Island), The Weeknd
2. “Don’t Start Now” (Warner Records), Dua Lipa
3. “Higher Love” (Columbia), Kygo & Whitney Houston
4. “Dance Monkey” (Parlophone), Tones & I
5. “Adore You” (RCA), Harry Styles
6. “Before You Go” (EMI), Lewis Capaldi
7. “Physical” (Warner Records), Dua Lipa
8. “Memories” (Polydor), Maroon 5
9. “This Is Real” (Polydor), Jax Jones & Ella Henderson
10. “Rain on Me” (Island), Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande

PPL’s Most-Played Artists of 2020

1. Dua Lipa
2. Ed Sheeran
3. Ariana Grande
4. Sam Smith
5. Calvin Harris
6. Little Mix
7. Coldplay
8. Justin Bieber
9. Maroon 5
10. The Weeknd