Coldplay have been named the most played British group of the 21st century by music licensing company PPL.
PPL has released its list of the UK’s most played bands to mark National Album Day 2024 on October 19, which this year celebrates great British groups.
Coldplay’s music has 40,000 more plays across UK radio and TV than Queen, who came in at No.2.
Viva La Vida leads the way as Coldplay’s biggest track, being played an average of 27 times each day since its release in 2008, followed by Paradise, Clocks, Something Just Like This and Adventure Of A Lifetime. In total, the band has notched up 400,000,000 seconds of airplay this century.
Coldplay’s Moon Music album is out on October 4. The band are set to break the Wembley Stadium record next summer with a run of 10 dates at the venue. The record of eight Wembley Stadium dates on a tour was previously held by Take That and Taylor Swift.
PPL licenses the use of recorded music on radio, TV and in public places such as shops, bars, restaurants, gyms, offices and warehouses in the UK and receives extensive airplay reporting from these broadcasters and public performance venues.
National Album Day is organised jointly by labels trade body the BPI and digital entertainment and retail association ERA in partnership with BBC Radio 2 and the wider music industry to celebrate the ‘art of the album’. It aims to promote engagement around the album format, particularly by younger music consumers. Now in its seventh edition, the theme this year is Great British Groups.
Take That, Little Mix and The Beatles complete the Top 5. Oasis’ recent surge in airplay after the reunion announcement came too late for the chart (they are at No.6).
UK GROUPS – AIRPLAY
1 Coldplay
2 Queen
3 Take That
4 Little Mix
5 The Beatles
6 Oasis
7 The Bee Gees
8 The Stereophonics
9 The Eurythmics
10 The Rolling Stones
11 Clean Bandit
12 Duran Duran
13 Sugababes
14 The Police
15 Simply Red
16 Snow Patrol
17 Electric Light Orchestra
18 Keane
19 Wham!
20 Texas
Catalogue from Take That, Sugababes, Stereophonics and Simply Red is being released on National Album Day.
PPL’s CEO Peter Leathem OBE said: “This country has produced some of the most iconic and successful bands of all time, so documenting them is a perfect way to mark this year’s National Album Day. Including groups from across the last 60 years, this list is a reminder of the strength and depth of British music through the decades. Coldplay are fitting owners of the No.1 spot – few artists can claim to have had such a presence on UK radio and TV since 2000.”
PHOTO: Anna Lee
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