Justin Bieber has set a new high water mark for streaming in the UK, with his No.1 hit Sorry this week becoming the first ever song to register over 100 million streams.
The most-streamed song in Official Charts Company history hit No.1 in October 2015 and has remained on the chart ever since. Bieber’s Purpose album – released on Virgin EMI – has been a streaming phenomenon since release and has now sold 982,340 copies, 241,837 of which are streaming ‘sales’.
“Rarely this year have I heard people use the word 'sorry' without breaking out into a rendition of Justin’s song,” a jubilant Virgin EMI president Ted Cockle told Music Week. “At Virgin EMI we're delighted to be involved with any award where it's so enormous that you have to question how many zeros 100 million actually demands! Congratulations to Justin Bieber and his rather marvellous new blonde hair.”
“It has been an extraordinary few months for Justin Bieber and this new streaming landmark really tops the lot,” added Official Charts Company chief executive Martin Talbot. “For Sorry to become the first track in Official Chart history to pass the 100m mark is a record which can never be taken away from Justin – it is, perhaps, the four-minute mile of music streaming. A remarkable feat, a first which will be Justin's record forever.”
Bieber is also a serious contender to have the second and third songs to pass the 100m mark, with his songs What Do You Mean? and Love Yourself also closing in on the threshold with 98.6m and 94.3m streams respectively.
Bieber has already become the first artist to simultaneously hold the No.1, 2 and 3 positions on the singles chart.
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