Indie labels currently occupy five of the top 10 slots in the albums chart, according to OCC midweek sales flashes, with Arctic Monkeys leading the pack.And an indie release – Example’s Changed The Way You Kiss on Ministry of Sound – looks set to top the singles chart this Sunday, beating Coldplay in the process. Arctic Monkeys’ fourth album, Suck It And See (Domino), has sold more than 38,000 copies so far this week putting it far ahead of its nearest competitor, Adele's 21, which is on indie label XL. Also currently in the top ten are albums from Frank Turner (England Keep My Bones), Seasick Steve (You Can’t Teach An Old Dog New Tricks) and Adele’s first album 19 – all of which are on indie labels.
In total there are 13 indie albums currently in the midweek top 40, with releases from Caro Emerald, City & Colour, Suede, Battles, Above & Beyond, Status Quo, Prodigy and Fleet Foxes sitting between 10 and 40. It reflects what has been a very strong start to the year for the indies, with XL in particular boasting a massive market share on the back of Adele’s success.
Meanwhile, Example looks set to beat Coldplay to the number one slot on the singles chart: his Changed The Way You Kiss Me is outselling its nearest competitor, Pitbull’s Give Me Everything (J) by more than two to one. Coldplay’s Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall (Parlophone), released digitally to tie in with the festival season, is currently sitting in third. Peter Thompson, managing director of PIAS UK, which distributes all of the indie releases in the midweek top 10, said the result was down to “the quality of artists” in question.
“Seeing a top ten containing such diverse artists such as Frank Turner, Arctic Monkeys, Seasick Steve and, obviously, Adele is exciting to look at and just shows the strength and breadth of the independent sector,” he said.
Source: Ben Cardew, Music Week