/UK Music Downloads Hit The One Billion Mark

UK Music Downloads Hit The One Billion Mark

On Monday it was revealed that a billion songs in the UK have been downloaded.

The landmark achievement comes ten years after legal downloading was introduced. The Official Charts Company revealed at the start of the week that on average, around 3 million tracks are now purchased online every week.

In 2012 alone the 188.6 million songs were bought online; a 6% increase on the sales in 2011. So far this year it is estimated that around 500,000 songs are bought online everyday.

Despite the recent surge in viral sensations and reality television shows, there is no trace of Gangnam Style or X Factor releases in the top 10 downloaded songs. Unsurprisingly, Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’ takes the top spot, closely followed by the 2011 Maroon 5 hit, ‘Moves Like Jagger’. 

Along with having the accolade of  having the most downloaded song in the UK, Adele’s second studio album, 21 is also the fourth highest selling album of all time.

However the switch from CDs to downloading music has resulted in a surge of eccentric and older songs entering the charts. As a reaction to 2009’s X Factor single (which has monopolised the Christmas number 1 spot since 2004) a campaign was started on Facebook to get Rage Against the Machine’s Killing in the Name Of to number 1.

Most recently Ant and Dec’s Let’s Got Ready to Rhumble made a shock entry in the charts 19 years after it was originally released; reaching the number 1 position at the end of March. At the time of writing this post, Judy Garland’s Wizard of Oz hit, Ding-Dong the Witch is Dead has quickly climbed up the charts following the death of Margaret Thatcher.

With more and more people choosing to purchase virtual copies of music, it’s only a matter of time before the 2 billion mark is shattered.

 

In the UK the most popular / downloaded songs of all time are:

1. Adele – Someone Like You

2. Maroon 5 ft Christina Aguilera – Moves Like Jagger

3. Gotye ft Kimbra – Somebody I Used To Know

4. Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling

5. Rihanna ft Calvin Harris – We Found Love

6. Kings Of Leon – Sex On Fire

7. Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe

8. LMFAO – Party Rock Anthem

9. Bruno Mars – Just The Way You Are (Amazing)

10. Jessie J – Price Tag