List of best-selling albums of the 2000s (century) in the United Kingdom

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With sales of over 5 million, Adele's album 21 is the best-selling album of the 21st century in the UK, more than 1.3 million copies ahead of the next biggest seller, Amy Winehouse's Back to Black . 2013 GGA Adele.jpg
With sales of over 5 million, Adele's album 21 is the best-selling album of the 21st century in the UK, more than 1.3 million copies ahead of the next biggest seller, Amy Winehouse's Back to Black .

The UK Albums Chart is a music chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) that calculates the best-selling albums of the week in the United Kingdom. [1] Initially based solely on the sales of albums in the vinyl and CD formats, digital albums began being included from April 2006. [2] Since March 2015, the chart has also been based on audio streaming figures, [3] however the OCC still compiles a 'sales' (only) chart and still quotes these traditional sales figures in its features and articles. [4]

The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts Company (OCC) on Fridays. It is broadcast on BBC Radio 1 and published in Music Week magazine, and on the OCC website.

The Official Charts Company, also referred to as Official Charts is a British inter-professional organisation that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, including the UK Singles Chart, the UK Albums Chart, the UK Singles Downloads Chart and the UK Album Downloads Chart, as well as genre-specific and music video charts. The OCC produces its charts by gathering and combining sales data from retailers through market researchers Millward Brown, and claims to cover 99% of the singles market and 95% of the album market, and aims to collect data from any retailer who sells more than 100 chart items per week.

Album collection of recorded music, words, sounds

An album is a collection of audio recordings issued as a collection on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium. Albums of recorded music were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78-rpm records collected in a bound book resembling a photograph album; this format evolved after 1948 into single vinyl LP records played at ​33 1⁄3 rpm. Vinyl LPs are still issued, though album sales in the 21st-century have mostly focused on CD and MP3 formats. The audio cassette was a format used alongside vinyl from the 1970s into the first decade of the 2000s.

Contents

This is a list of the 50 best-selling albums in the UK from 1 January 2000 onwards, as compiled by the OCC (sales that occurred before 2000 are not included). Of these, only two were originally released before the year 2000: White Ladder (1998) by David Gray and Gold: Greatest Hits (1992) by ABBA. [4]

<i>White Ladder</i> 1998 studio album by David Gray

White Ladder is the fourth studio album by English folk singer-songwriter David Gray. It was first released in November 1998 through Gray's own record label, IHT Records, but failed to chart. On 1 May 2000, the album was re-released by Dave Matthews' label ATO Records and debuted at number 69 on the UK Albums Chart, before climbing to number one on 5 August 2001, more than a year later. White Ladder produced five singles, including the hit "Babylon", which ignited interest in the album and shot Gray to worldwide fame. Other singles released from the album were "This Year's Love", "Please Forgive Me", "Sail Away" and "Say Hello Wave Goodbye".

David Gray (musician) British singer-songwriter

David Gray is an English singer-songwriter. Gray released his first album in 1993 and received worldwide attention after the release of White Ladder six years later. It was the first of three UK chart-toppers in six years for Gray, of which the latter two also made the Top 17 in the US. White Ladder became the fifth best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK. Gray has been nominated for four Brit Awards – twice for Best British Male.

ABBA Swedish pop group

ABBA are a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's name is an acronym of the first letters of their first names. They became one of the most commercially successful acts in the history of popular music, topping the charts worldwide from 1974 to 1982. ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 at The Dome in Brighton, UK, giving Sweden its first triumph in the contest. They are the most successful group to have taken part in the competition.

Back to Bedlam by James Blunt, which was the best-selling album of the 2000s decade, [5] was also the best-selling album of the 21st century until August 2011 when it was passed in sales by Amy Winehouse's Back to Black , following Winehouse's death the previous month. [6] Less than four months later, however, Back to Black was itself overtaken by Adele's 21 . [7] As of July 2016, 21 remains the biggest-selling album in the UK since 2000 (and fourth best-selling ever), having sold over 4,940,000 copies. [8]

<i>Back to Bedlam</i> 2004 studio album by James Blunt

Back to Bedlam is the debut studio album by the English singer-songwriter James Blunt, released on 11 October 2004 through Atlantic Records. It is named after the famous psychiatric institution of Bethlem Royal Hospital, which is commonly known as Bedlam.

James Blunt English singer-songwriter

James Hillier Blount, better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter, record producer and former British Army Officer.

Amy Winehouse English singer and songwriter

Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer and songwriter. She was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres, including soul, rhythm and blues, and jazz. Winehouse's debut album, Frank (2003), was a critical success in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Her follow-up album, Back to Black (2006), led to five 2008 Grammy Awards, tying the then record for the most wins by a female artist in a single night, and made her the first British woman to win five Grammys, including three of the General Field "Big Four" Grammy Awards: Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

Best-selling albums since 2000

Sales figures from the OCC on the date given in the reference. The OCC differentiate 'chart sales' (which include streaming) from 'sales' (which are downloads and physical purchases and are quoted below). [3]

No.TitleArtistPeak
position		Year of
release		Copies sold
(where available)		No. of times
Platinum [lower-alpha 1]
1 21 Adele 120115,100,000 [8] 17×
2 Back to Black Amy Winehouse 120063,900,00013×
3 25 Adele 120153,343,055 [10] 11×
4 Back To Bedlam James Blunt 120043,338,000 [11]
5 x Ed Sheeran 120143,300,000
6 1 Beatles 120003,230,000 [12]
7 Spirit Leona Lewis 120073,138,700 [13] 10×
8 Crazy Love Michael Bublé 120093,095,145 [14]
9 No Angel Dido 120003,088,700 [13]
10 White Ladder David Gray 11998Dagger-14-plain.png
2000 (re-release)		3,008,786 [15] [16]
11 ÷ Ed Sheeran 120173,000,000
12 The Fame Lady Gaga 120082,990,000 [17] 9×
13 A Rush of Blood to the Head Coldplay 120022,925,000
14 Only by the Night Kings of Leon 120082,916,779 [18]
15 Life for Rent Dido120032,881,400 [13]
16 Beautiful World Take That 120062,850,000 [19]
17 Hopes and Fears Keane 120042,833,752 [20]
18 Scissor Sisters Scissor Sisters 120042,760,000
19 X&Y Coldplay120052,743,000 [21]
20 Parachutes 120002,700,000
21 Gold: Greatest Hits ABBA 11992Dagger-14-plain.png (original release)2,569,6008×
22 Come Away with Me Norah Jones 120022,540,000
23 The Marshall Mathers LP Eminem 120002,440,000
24 Christmas Michael Bublé120112,400,000
25 Number Ones Michael Jackson 120032,400,000
25 19 Adele120082,400,000
26 Swing When You're Winning Robbie Williams 120012,385,673 [22] 7×
25 Progress Take That120102,375,300 [23]
26 Eyes Open Snow Patrol 120042,370,000
30 Never Forget – The Ultimate Collection Take That220052,360,000 [12]
31 Greatest Hits Robbie Williams120042,320,000 [12]
32 Our Version of Events Emeli Sandé 120122,260,000 [24]
33 Rockferry Duffy 120082,220,000 [25]
34 The Circus Take That120082,210,000
35 Sing When You're Winning Robbie Williams120002,203,321 [22]
36 In the Lonely Hour Sam Smith 120142,188,095
37 Hot Fuss The Killers 120042,153,500 [26]
38 American Idiot Green Day 120042,150,000 [27]
39 + Ed Sheeran120112,158,000 [28]
40 Escapology Robbie Williams120022,075,441 [22] 6×
41 Employment Kaiser Chiefs 120052,048,500 [29]
42 Songs About Jane Maroon 5 120042,064,955 [30]
43 By the Way Red Hot Chili Peppers 120022,020,000
44 Stripped Christina Aguilera 220021,980,000
45 Justified Justin Timberlake 120021,975,000
46 The Greatest Hits Texas 120001,974,890 [31]
47 Loud Rihanna 120101,950,864 [32]
48 Greatest Hits Guns N' Roses 120041,947,000
49 I Dreamed a Dream Susan Boyle 120091,938,305 [33]
50 Good Girl Gone Bad Rihanna120071,904,347 [32]
51 Call Off the Search Katie Melua 120041,900,000 [34]
52 Born to Do It Craig David 120001,860,000 [35]
53 Unbreakable: The Greatest Hits Volume 1 Westlife 120021,860,000
54 ELV1S Elvis Presley 120041,843,000
55 Missundaztood Pink120011,840,000
56 The Platinum Collection Queen220001,831,000
57 Songbird Eva Cassidy 119981,825,000
58 Sunny Side Up Paolo Nutini 120091,824,000
59 Play Moby 119991,810,000
60 Curtain Call: The Hits Eminem120052,100,000

Dagger-14-plain.pngOriginally released before 2000; position based on sales since 2000

Notes

  1. ↑ The certifications are those given by the BPI as of March 2017. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

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UK Album Downloads Chart

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Official Albums Streaming Chart

The Official Albums Streaming Chart is a music chart based plays of an album's songs through audio streaming services in the United Kingdom. Introduced on 1 March 2015, it coincided with the Official Charts Company's decision to incorporate streaming data into the UK Albums Chart. The Official Albums Streaming Chart uses the same streaming sources as the Official Audio Streaming Chart to measure how many times albums have been streamed each week.

The Official Vinyl Singles Chart is a weekly record chart in the United Kingdom. It is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the music industry. It lists the top 40 most popular singles in the vinyl format each week. The chart, along with the corresponding Official Vinyl Albums Chart, was launched on 6 April 2015 to coincide with Record Store Day, and was introduced in response to the major rise in popularity of vinyl records, both singles and albums; 2014 saw 1.3 million vinyl albums sold in the UK for the first time since 1995.

<i>Together</i> (Michael Ball and Alfie Boe album) 2016 studio album by Michael Ball and Alfie Boe

Together is a collaborative album by English singers Michael Ball and Alfie Boe. It was released on 4 November 2016 through Decca Records. The album peaked at number one the UK Albums Chart, becoming Ball's second UK number one album and Boe's first. Together has been certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales of 600,000 copies in the UK.

References

  1. ↑ "Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  2. ↑ West, Dave (9 April 2006). "Album chart allows downloads from Sunday". Digital Spy . Hearst Magazines UK . Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  3. 1 2 Copsey, Rob (11 February 2015). "UK's Official Albums Chart to include streaming data for first time". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  4. 1 2 Moss, Liv (19 March 2015). "Official Biggest Selling Albums of the Millennium so far revealed!". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  5. ↑ "James Blunt records the biggest selling album of decade". BBC News . BBC. 29 December 2009. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  6. ↑ "Amy Winehouse's 'Back to Black' becomes UK's biggest-selling album of the 21st century". NME . 26 August 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  7. ↑ Piedak, Alex (5 December 2011). "Adele's 21 tops Amy Winehouse for biggest selling album of 21st century". Metro . DMG Media . Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Adele's 21 breaks 5 Million barrier in UK". Music Week.
  9. ↑ "Certified Awards". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  10. ↑ Jones, Alan (3 February 2017). "Official Charts Analysis: La La Land hits top of the album chart". Music Week.
  11. ↑ Myers, Justin (26 November 2016). "Adele's 25 one year on: 14 incredible chart facts". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  12. 1 2 3 Myers, Justin (12 July 2016). "Greatest of the greatest? The Top 10 biggest hits collections revealed". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  13. 1 2 3 Jones, Alan (1 July 2016). "Official Charts Analysis: Adele's 25 back on top as sales surge 231%". Music Week . Intent Media. Retrieved 2 July 2016. (Subscription required (help)).
  14. ↑ Jones, Alan (27 October 2016). "Official Charts Analysis: Elvis tops the albums chart again". Music Week . Intent Media. Retrieved 27 October 2016. (Subscription required (help)).
  15. ↑ Jones, Alan (7 July 2014). "Official Charts Analysis: Grande's Problem tops singles with 113k sales - 7k from streaming". Music Week . Intent Media. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  16. ↑ Jones, Alan (4 November 2016). "Official Charts Analysis: James Arthur tops albums chart with Back from the Edge". Music Week . Intent Media. Retrieved 26 November 2016. (Subscription required (help)).
  17. ↑ Copsey, Rob (13 October 2018). Official Charts Company https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-uks-biggest-studio-albums-of-all-time__24431/ . Retrieved 13 October 2018.Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. ↑ Jones, Alan (21 October 2016). "Official Charts Analysis: Kings of Leon score fifth No.1 album". Music Week . Intent Media. Retrieved 26 November 2016. (Subscription required (help)).
  19. ↑ Myers, Justin (7 July 2016). "Flashback: Take That's comeback album Beautiful World is 10 years old". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  20. ↑ Hanley, James (12 October 2016). "Tom Chaplin: "I thought I was about to drop dead"". Music Week. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  21. ↑ Jones, Alan (26 May 2014). "Official Charts Analysis: Coldplay LP sells 168k to set 2014 pace". Music Week . Intent Media. Retrieved 9 June 2015. (Subscription required (help)).
  22. 1 2 3 Sutherland, Mark (9 May 2016). "By the numbers: inside Robbie Williams' albums career". Music Week . Intent Media. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  23. ↑ Jones, Alan (31 July 2015). "Official Charts Analysis: Chemical Brothers claim sixth No.1 album with Born in the Echoes". Music Week . Intent Media. Retrieved 30 November 2015. (Subscription required (help)).
  24. ↑ White, Jack (16 September 2016). "Emeli Sandé announces details of her second album, called Long Live the Angels". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  25. ↑ Forde, Eamon (9 July 2014). "From Robin Thicke to Mariah and Mick: five blockbuster albums that bombed". The Guardian . Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  26. ↑ Jones, Alan (25 May 2015). "Official Charts Analysis: Brandon Flowers scores sixth No.1 with The Desired Effect". Music Week . Intent Media. Retrieved 9 June 2015. (Subscription required (help)).
  27. ↑ Copsey, Rob (10 August 2016). "Green Day's biggest selling singles is the ultimate punk-rock playlist". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  28. ↑ Copsey, Rob (2 March 2017). "The incredible numbers behind Ed Sheeran's first two albums revealed". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  29. ↑ Jones, Alan (7 April 2014). "Official Charts Analysis: Kaiser Chiefs almost double previous album's sales to hit No.1". Music Week . Intent Media. Retrieved 9 June 2015. (Subscription required (help)).
  30. ↑ Jones, Alan (10 November 2017). "Official Charts Analysis: Sam Smith debuts at No.1 just short of 100,000 sales". Music Week . Intent Media. Retrieved 17 September 2018. (Subscription required (help)).
  31. ↑ Jones, Alan (28 April 2017). "Official Charts Analysis: Ed Sheeran makes it eight weeks on top of the albums chart". Music Week . Intent Media. Retrieved 28 April 2017. (Subscription required (help)).
  32. 1 2 Jones, Alan (5 February 2016). "Official Charts Analysis: Bowie scores consecutive No.1 albums". Music Week . Intent Media. Retrieved 7 February 2016. (Subscription required (help)).
  33. ↑ Jones, Alan (2 December 2016). "Official Charts Analysis: Little Mix hold No.1 spot with Glory Days". Music Week . Intent Media. Retrieved 3 December 2016. (Subscription required (help)).
  34. ↑ Barstein, Brand (15 January 2013). "The biggest selling Easy Listening albums of the millennium revealed!". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  35. ↑ Myers, Justin (9 April 2015). "Number 1 today in 2000: Craig David scores a debut chart-topper". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 1 December 2015.
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