Label executives have spoken about the challenges in securing artist breakthroughs as sales figures revealed the absence of new debuts in the half-year Top 100 albums.

In many cases, debut releases have been put on hold during the Covid-19 pandemic because of the loss of live and media opportunities.

“It’s been harder for certain types of artist, without a doubt,” Ben Mortimer, co-president of Polydor, told Music Week. “Especially those that need proximity to other musicians to write and ...