Australia is the fourth-largest market for British music

British recorded music is leaving its mark on Australian audiences more than ever, according to a report from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

Australia is now listed fourth behind the US, Germany and France, and one place ahead of Canada.

Australia certainly embraced last year’s biggest British sellers, including Adele’s 25, Coldplay’s A Head Full Of Dreams, The Rolling Stones’ Blue & Lonesome and David Bowie’s catalogue and this year’s releases from Ed Sheeran, Rag’N’Bone Man, Little Mix, Stormzy and Jonas Blue.

The next British blockbuster will be from Sam Smith, whose debut album In The Lonely Hour three years ago reached #1 on the ARIA chart and certified 5 x platinum for Australian sales of 350,000. It sold 12 million worldwide.

Lead off single Too Good At Goodbyes has just been released, with Smith playing intimate shows this week in Los Angeles (September 11), New York City (13), London (15) and Berlin (18).

Australia’s support for British music was revealed as the BPI announced that the export of British recorded music rose by 11.1% to £364.6 million (A$597.1 million) in 2016. The figure was £328.2 million ($625.9 million) in 2015

This was the strongest performance since the BPI began collecting annual data in 2000 when it was £211.6 million ($346.5 million). Since then, British music exports grew 72.3%, representing an additional £153 million ($250.5 million).

Exports have contributed nearly £4.4 billion ($7.2 billion) to the UK’s overseas earnings since the turn of the millennium, the BPI said.

In 2016, one in every eight albums bought around the world came out of Britain.

The BPI’s CEO Geoff Taylor said, “With Britain leaving the EU, the UK needs businesses that are true global superstars.

“Music by brilliant British artists such as Ed Sheeran, Adele, David Bowie, Coldplay and Sam Smith is streamed and purchased the world over, boosting the UK’s balance of payments.

“The global digital streaming market represents a huge new opportunity.

“Government can help to seize that opportunity by making sure our artists can tour freely post-Brexit and that third countries robustly protect music rights.”

The UK government has provided support for export initiatives, including the Department for International Trade’s (DIT) funding for the Music Export Growth Scheme (MEGS).

Government-backed trade missions organised by the BPI with the Association of Independent Music and the Music Publishers Association have also promoted British music overseas.

Aside from annual missions to Los Angles and to France via MIDEM, recent missions included visits to growing markets as China and India, and the next one to South Korea between September 24 – October 1.

British artists account for four in 10 of the music syncs used in UK broadcast advertising in 2016 (39.7%) ahead of acts from The US (37.7%), France (5.2%), Australia and Italy (both 2.1%) and Sweden (1.8%).