Organisers of National Album Day welcome impact of 2021 event

The fourth edition of National Album Day, staged on Saturday, 16^th October, has been welcomed as a success by its joint organisers, the BPI and the Entertainment Retailers Association, with the impact reflected in the Official Vinyl Charts, the Official Album Charts and sales overall as well as across media and socials.

Presented in association with audio partner Bowers & Wilkins and broadcast partner BBC Sounds, National Album Day honours the art of the album, and this year celebrated Women in Music and the important contribution they make to the album format.

Based on Official Album Charts midweeks, vinyl LP sales on Saturday 16^th October were up by just over a third (34% )on the previous Saturday 9^th October (and by 44% if you compare the two New Music Fridays). CD sales were up 31% on the Saturday, and 83% on Friday, with Coldplay’s ‘Music of the Spheres’ very much the frontrunner.²

Leading the charge for National Album Day releases, with a current Top-20 place in the Official Album Chart, is the Kylie Minogue Fever album – reissued on white vinyl to mark its 20^th anniversary. The album is one of three titles (including Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black and Garbage’s Garbage) in the Official Chart midweek Top 40 that have been reissued to coincide with this year’s National Album Day, and one of six in the current Top-200. Additionally in the overall Official Album Chart there are three Adele albums in the Top-20 following the release of the single Easy On Me and the news that her long-awaited fourth album 30 is due out on 19^th November, while National Album Day Ambassador Joy Crookes looks like enjoying a Top-10 debut with her album Skin.

In the Official Vinyl Chart there are four titles in the Top-10 reissued or released to coincide with National Album Day – Kylie Minogue’s Fever, Garbage’s Garbage, Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black and Dido’s White Flag, and 16 in the top 40, including Mariah Carey’s Emotions, Kirsty MacColl’s Tropical Brainstorm, Siouxsie and the Banshees’ Tinderbox and Katie Melua’s Ultimate Collection.

National Album Day spokesperson said: “It’s great to see National Album Day continue to grow as a national event that increasingly resonates culturally and commercially. Supported by an annual theme that creates a point of focus – this year celebrating Women in Music – the day aims to foster a conversation around the art of the album and its continuing importance to artists who love to tell their stories through the format.

“Our sincere thanks go to everyone that enthusiastically supported National Album Day this year: our partners Bowers & Wilkins and BBC Sounds; our wonderful ambassadors and their teams, artists and the fans; the record labels, distributors, retailers and digital services; album platforms including Tim’s Twitter Listening Parties and Classica Album Sundays; and PPL, Landmrk, Diabolical Media and our other supporters across the industry.”

Engagement around the event was led by Artist Ambassadors Joy Crookes, Kylie Minogue, Laura Mvula, Ray BLK, and Sharleen Spiteri, and was supported by industry partners and album platforms including Tim’s Twitter Listening Parties and Classic Album Sundays as well as by PPL research that revealed P!nk to be the most played female artist in the UK this century.

BBC Sounds gave enthusiastic backing across their national and local radio network, with BBC Radio 2 dedicating their whole day to album tracks by women with an all-female playlist from Sounds of the 60s all the way through to Craig Charles’ House Party. Additionally, a special show presented by Jo Whiley counted down the top-10 all-time biggest selling albums by women, headed by Adele’s 21, as compiled by the Official Charts Company.

In an exclusive ‘Album Hunt’ activation in collaboration with Landmrk, music fans were invited to go on a trail focusing on 10 iconic albums by women artists, including Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black, Solange’s A Seat at The Table and Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia. The trail of 10 albums was available at multiple locations throughout the UK, with the hotspots outlined on a map via albumhunt.co.uk, which will be promoted via social media along with outdoor billboards courtesy of the agency Diabolical. At each hotspot, exclusive content on each album could be unlocked with an opportunity to enter a competition to win a National Album Day bundle, featuring a Bowers & Wilkins Formation Wedge and vinyl.

Finally fans were able to join in the National Album Day fun by heading to their favourite indie store, specialist retailer or digital service to explore a selection of new albums, boxsets and classic reissues including: Stevie Nicks, Donna Summer, HAIM, Eva Cassidy, Roisin Murphy, Patti Smith, Solange, Lykkie Li and more.

Notes to Editors

¹For a detailed product list visit the NAD website here.

² These figures clearly reflect the release of the new Coldplay album Music of the Spheres, but equally the comparable period last week will have been boosted by strong physical demand for Sam Fender’s Seventeen Going Under album.