The first week No.1 sales for Muse’s Simulation Theory show that there’s a “huge audience for rock music”, the band’s publisher Mike Smith has told Music Week.

Muse’s sixth No.1 album opened with sales of 44,320, according to the Official Charts Company. Streaming accounted for 9.1% of the total, while 33,660 physical copies were sold across three different formats including a super-deluxe edition.

“This is one of the most important releases of the year,” said Smith, MD, Warner/Chappell UK. ...