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New analysis by the BPI reveals that country music more than doubled its share of the singles market, compared to just two years ago.
The strong performance in 2024 was led by Shaboozey’s A Bar Song (Tipsy) and Austin by Dasha among the year’s biggest hits.
The genre’s renaissance also impacted the albums market, where Beyoncé’s country-influenced Cowboy Carter was the genre’s top release ahead of albums by Morgan Wallen and Post Malone.
Country’s growth is documented, alongside other music industry trends, stats and market analysis, in All About The Music 2025 – the 46th edition of the BPI’s authoritative music industry yearbook, which is out now.
Country’s share of the UK singles market was less than 1% in each year this century until 2019.
As the yearbook reveals, country’s share of the singles market, whilst still relatively low in absolute terms, grew to 1.6% in 2022 and increased to 2.1% in 2023 before rising to 3.3% last year. This made it the sixth most consumed genre behind pop, rock, hip-hop/rap, R&B, and dance.
Our challenge is finding UK Country artists, but I am confident some more will break through
Jeff Smith
Pop extended its lead as the top singles genre in a year in which it claimed the top spot on the singles chart for 38 weeks, 21 of these courtesy of Sabrina Carpenter, while Gracie Abrams scored her first No.1 and Charli XCX also topped the UK chart.
Six country hits reached the weekly singles chart Top 10 during 2024, including Beyoncé’s chart-topping Texas Hold ‘Em and Post Malone featuring Morgan Wallen’s I Had Some Help. The genre reached a peak in the final week of May last year when three country tracks by different artists – Post Malone/Morgan Wallen, Shaboozey and Dasha – each occupied places in the Top 10.
Country also grew its share of the UK’s artist albums market to a 21st Century high last year, with the BPI revealing it accounted for 2.9% of consumption across streams and sales thanks in part to chart-topping albums by Beyoncé (Cowboy Carter) and Post Malone (F-1 Trillion), as well as releases including Kacey Musgraves’ No.3 charting Deeper Well and Top 20 entries for Lainey Wilson (Whirlwind), Luke Combs (Fathers & Sons) and Zach Bryan (The Great American Bar Scene).
Its share was up from 2.5% in 2023 and represented its biggest stake in the market since 1999, when Shania Twain’s Come On Over spent 11 weeks at No.1 as the year’s top-selling album, and country artists such as Garth Brooks were hugely popular.
International marketing push by CMA and live events
Country’s resurgence in the UK follows concerted efforts over more than a decade by the Country Music Association (CMA). This has been delivered by events such as the annual C2C (Country to Country) Festival, which debuted at The O2 in London in 2013, and has since expanded to additional yearly events in Glasgow and Belfast.
The 11th edition took place in March with headliners Lainey Wilson, Dierks Bentley and Cody Johnson.
The BPI’s yearbook confirms what a successful year the genre has just had, not least thanks to crossover hits by the likes of Beyoncé, Shaboozey and Morgan Wallen
Dr Jo Twist
In May, The Royal Albert Hall will be hosting the Highways Festival, a two-day event of country and Americana music and headlined by Eric Church.
Zach Bryan will be among the Country artists featuring at the British Summer Time concerts in London’s Hyde Park in June. This follows a day dedicated to the genre at last year’s festival, headlined by Morgan Wallen and attracting a record-breaking 50,000 people for a country event held in the UK.
Other notable forthcoming UK country events include The Long Road 2025 festival in Lutterworth, Leicestershire over the August Bank Holiday.
Baylen Leonard, The Long Road Festival creative director and Absolute Radio country presenter, said: “It’s a golden age for country music in the UK, with a steady and sustained rise in popularity for a few years now, thanks not only to massive crossover appeal of the music itself, but a willingness from major country acts to come and play in the UK. Whether it’s headline tours or festival line-ups from The Long Road or C2C, there are more opportunities for UK fans to dive into the world of country music and experience it first-hand.”
BBC Radio 2 has long championed the genre, including serving as the official media sponsor of the C2C festival, regularly featuring country in its weekly playlist and via its Bob Harris Country show. Radio 1 has also increased its support of country artists, while there are three national digital country radio stations – Absolute Radio Country, CountryLine Radio and Smooth Country, alongside Downtown Country in Northern Ireland.
Jeff Smith, BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music head of music, said: “There has been a growing reaction to the domination of rhythmic music over the last 20 years, which I think has led to some people looking for more thoughtful, emotionally-powerful lyrics and interesting, often rawer melodies. That is the criteria of country music. Taylor Swift, who was first played on UK radio on the Radio 2 Country show, has helped, with artists like her and Miley Cyrus introducing people to a different type of music.
“At Radio 2, the UK’s most listened to radio station with a weekly audience of 13.6m, country has always been a part of our DNA. Our weekly show, fronted by the UK’s very own country legend Bob Harris, is the nation’s most listened to country music programme, and recently celebrated its 26th anniversary. In 2013 we helped to launch the Country 2 Country music festival and have been their broadcast partner ever since. We also launched the UK’s first dedicated national country station as a pop-up, and now have BBC Sounds for our on-demand content. Our challenge is finding UK country artists, but I am confident some more will break through, and country’s popularity here is only going to get bigger.”
He added: “Country music does storytelling better than any genre and translates feelings into words that are universal, no matter where you’re from, so more and more people are realising that country isn’t what they thought it was and are finding their own style within the genre.”
RW Publicity founder Richard Wootton, a champion of the genre, said: “Country music used to be predominantly supported by older people, with minimal interest from anyone under 35. It was mostly a bit like pushing water uphill, although I had some real successes thanks to BBC Radio 2. But so much has changed, starting with Taylor Swift in 2007, then the Nashville TV show, then C2C in 2013 and then the arrival of country radio stations, such as Absolute Country Radio, Smooth Country, and CountryLine Radio. The majority of the UK country audience are now aged between 18 and 35 and country music is the fastest growing music genre in the UK.”
The live entertainment sector, including live promoters such as Live Nation UK, have been playing their full part in the surge of interest in country music.
Anna-Sophie Mertens, SVP touring, Live Nation UK, said: “One of country music’s most prolific current artists is Morgan Wallen, who sold out The O2, London in 2023 in a matter of minutes, leading to him being the first country artist to headline BST Hyde Park in July 2024. His country heavy line-up introduced new names to the UK, such as Riley Green, Ella Langley and Ernest. Live moments like these translate to increased music consumption and in turn deliver a surge in demand for the genre as a whole.”
Dr Jo Twist OBE, BPI chief executive, said: “Country’s rising popularity was one of music’s best-kept secrets, but packed-out crowds at events like C2C and The Long Road festival, successful year-round touring by leading promoters, and the genre’s growing streaming numbers suggested it was only a matter of time before the mainstream caught up. The BPI’s All About The Music 2025 yearbook confirms what a successful year the genre has just had, not least thanks to crossover hits by the likes of Beyoncé, Shaboozey and Morgan Wallen, as well as the Taylor Swift ‘effect’ in helping to grow its appeal among a younger audience.
“Great storytelling has always been at the heart of country music, so it is no surprise that it has found a new UK audience just when there has been renewed interest in singer-songwriters and their personal but relatable songs. Its growing presence is further highlighted by the choice of this year’s UK Eurovision entry – country-pop trio Remember Monday, who, of course, we’ll be cheering on later this month.”
PHOTO: Daniel Prakopcyk/Nate Stevenson
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