Atlantic Artists Land Top Three Singles Of 2015
Warner Music Group artists scored four out of the top 10 singles of 2015, as well as two of the year’s top ten albums, according to the forthcoming annual Global Music Report from the IFPI. The top three singles all featured Atlantic recording artists, led by the year’s No. 1 record around the world – “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth – which was followed by “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson feat. Atlantic’s Bruno Mars, and “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran.
On the IFPI’s Top Selling Global Albums list for 2015, Ed Sheeran’s x (Atlantic/Asylum) ranked No. 2, an exceptional feat considering that it was No. 3 on the same chart for 2014, the year of its release. Sheeran also came in at No. 2 among the Top Global Recording Artists of 2015. Coldplay’s A Head Full Of Dreams (Parlophone/Atlantic) landed at No. 8 on the chart, also a remarkable achievement, since the album was only released in early December, so its year-end position was based on less than a full month of sales. The band also took the No. 6 position on the Top Global Recording Artists chart.
With Atlantic artists reigning at the top of the Global Top Digital Singles chart, WMG’s other year-end hits included Jason Derulo’s “Want To Want Me” (Warner Bros.) at No. 10 and, in addition, WMG works the No. 5 track of the year, Major Lazer’s “Lean On” (feat. MØ & DJ Snake), in many parts of the world.
The full lists can now be viewed on the IFPI’s Twitter account, here.
“This is gratifying proof of what can be achieved when great artists deliver brilliant songs, backed by the best global team in the business,” said WMG CEO Steve Cooper. “I want to congratulate the entire WMG family for showing what real artist development is all about. Throughout the company, we are signing extraordinary artists and making records that resonate with fans around the world. The impact of global streaming is dramatically evident in our success last year, and we are looking forward to continuing to make great strides in 2016.”
“This is a great moment in Atlantic history,” said Atlantic Chairman & CEO Craig Kallman and Chairman & COO Julie Greenwald. “To have four of our artists on the three singles topping the annual chart is both a testament to the strength of our roster and to the power of great songs to transcend boundaries of country and culture. Wiz, Charlie, Bruno, and Ed are all incredible songwriters and performers with original voices, and they delivered music that moved hearts, minds, and feet across the globe in 2015.”
“It’s exciting to see so many phenomenal British artists achieve worldwide success in 2015,” said Warner Music UK Chairman and CEO Max Lousada. “And we’re immensely proud of all the artists from the Warner Music UK family — including Atlantic UK’s Ed Sheeran and Parlophone’s Coldplay — who are topping charts and selling out stadiums across the globe. It’s not only a great reflection of the range and power of the WMG roster of artists, but the richness and diversity of the music that Britain is bringing to the world.”
Mike Caren, Creative Officer of WMG and recently named CEO of Artist Partners Group, who signed both Charlie Puth and Wiz Khalifa, noted: “Wiz and Charlie are amazingly inventive artists, and it was fantastic to see how their different styles came together so seamlessly to create a timeless song with such incredible emotional power that it took over the world. I am so happy to see Wiz, Charlie, Bruno, Ed and so many other WMG artists grow from hugely talented unknowns to globally loved hit-makers.”
2015’s No. 1 single, “See You Again,” a collaboration between Atlantic artists Wiz Khalifa and newcomer Charlie Puth, was a record-breaking success. Written for Atlantic’s Furious 7 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, it hit No. 1 in a phenomenal 94 countries around the world. It was the first hip-hop video to cross the one billion mark in YouTube plays, was the most-streamed track in a single day on Spotify in the U.S., and was the most-streamed track in a single week on Spotify worldwide. It took Best Song honors at this year’s Critics’ Choice Awards.
