A DAY after the spectacular closing ceremony to the London 2012 games, music and entertainment retailer HMV has looked at the album sales on CD and download formats combined of the artists who either performed on the night or whose music was showcased during the event, and then compared this demand with the previous Monday (6 Aug) a week ago to produce a chart of the biggest beneficiaries.
Based on this like-for-like comparison, HMV can report that the big winners appear to be Elbow, who have seen big lifts in sales of both their albums – ‘Seldom Seen Kid’ (1150 per cent) and ‘Build a Rocket Boys’ (794 per cent) over 24 hours, following the performance of their anthemic songs ‘One Day Like This’ and ‘Open Arms’.
The other big rise, in second spot, was for John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ album (1100 per cent) and for the Spice Girls ‘Greatest Hits’ (626 per cent).
Emeli Sandé, who performed on three occasions and also appeared in the opening ceremony two weeks earlier, received another sales boost, with her album ‘Our Version of Events’ (476 per cent) enjoying the fifth-biggest rise.
Kate Bush’s ‘Whole Story’ hits compilation (416 per cent) also saw a significant lift, albeit from a relatively low sales base, which suggests that had she performed live, as rumours suggested she would, she would have most likely stolen the show and seen the biggest sales rise of all.
Just behind Kate was George Michael, who saw sales of his classic album ‘Faith’ lift 320 per cent following his performance, while Take That, The Who and Queen all saw demand for their albums pick up following the live/video performances on the night.
Just outside of the top ten biggest beneficiaries, Taio Cruz, One Direction, Muse, Jessie J and Ed Sheeran also enjoyed a significant increase in demand for their albums
The soundtrack to the closing ceremony, ‘A Symphony of British Music’, which hits record shops this Thursday, is expected to be a big seller over the next few days and weeks as the British public seeks to hang onto the feel-good factor generated by the games.
Similarly, the official DVD of the Games, which is scheduled for release this Autumn, can be expected to be one of the most popular gift items for Christmas.
HMV’s Gennaro Castaldo comments: “The closing ceremony was a celebration of British music, and with a huge broadcast audience in the UK and worldwide it’s no surprise that the featured artists are seeing a big lift in sales of their recordings.
“Elbow’s anthemic songs were almost tailor-made for the occasion, whilst it was also wonderful to be reminded of the power of John Lennon’s music.”
LONDON 2012 OLYMPICS CLOSING CEREMONY:
(percentage rises in album sales of featured artists – comparison of Monday 13 August with Monday 6th August)
1. Elbow / Seldom Seen Kid (1,150 per cent)
2. John Lennon / Imagine (1,100 per cent)
3. Elbow / Build a Rocket Boys (794 per cent)
4. Spice Girls / Greatest Hits (626 per cent)
5. Emeli Sandé / Our Version of Events (476 per cent)
6. Kate Bush / The Whole Story (416 per cent)
7. George Michael / Faith (320 per cent)
8. Take That / Beautiful World (300 per cent)
9. The Who / Then and Now (293 per cent)
10. Queen / Platinum Collection (286 per cent)
11. Taio Cruz / Departure (252 per cent)
12. One Direction / Up All Night (238 per cent)
13. Muse / Hullabaloo (228 per cent)
14. Jessie J / Who You Are (207 per cent)
15. Ed Sheeran / + (205 per cent)
16. Pet Shop Boys / Ultimate (202 per cent)
17. David Bowie / Platinum: Best Of (188 per cent)
18. Oasis / What’s the Story (Morning Glory) (186 per cent)
19. Annie Lennox / Collection (185 per cent)
20. Tinie Tempah / Disc-Overy (165 per cent)
(source HMV *)
Ends
ENQUIRIES
Gennaro Castaldo
HMV Head of Press & PR
0207 432 2033
07801 194 139
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Contact: HMV UK Ltd
Email: gennaro.castaldo@hmv.co.uk
Website: http://www.hmv.co.uk
