-          Music from Les Misérables helps boost sales of original soundtracks by almost 50% year-on-year

-          Downloads of original soundtracks account for almost half (49.4%) of overall sales of the format, the  highest of any sector of the albums market

-          Classic BRITs Outstanding Contribution recipient, Hans Zimmer, leads the charge in the Official Classical Singles Chart ahead of the annual awards show tonight, Wednesday 2nd October

Music from the Academy award-winning blockbuster, Les Misérables, has helped to boost year-on-year overall sales of film and TV soundtracks by almost 50% to 1.7 million units in the first nine months of 2013, revealed a BPI analysis of Official Charts Company data today.

An important factor underlining the surge in soundtrack sales has been the demand for downloads.  An increasing number of music consumers took to download stores such as iTunes, Amazon and 7digital to purchase original soundtracks this year to help the soundtrack market secure the highest digital share of any sector of the albums market.  Almost half (49.4%) of sales of TV and film-related releases were bought as downloads with  Urban and Dance albums the next highest, with digital shares of 43.8% and 41.0% respectively. 

The Platinum-certified album, Les Misérables: The Motion Picture Soundtrack, has sold more than 300,000 copies in the UK this year.  It tops the list of this year’s most popular soundtracks which feature albums from Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby, Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Rock Of Ages, the American musical comedy Pitch Perfect, and compilations from the TV series The Music of Nashville.

Commenting on the rise in digital downloads of official soundtracks, BPI and BRIT Awards Chief Executive, Geoff Taylor, said,

“Music has been providing the backdrop to some of the most memorable moments in TV and film history for decades. 

“Nowadays, with the range of digital services offering music online, movie goers can download or stream a soundtrack on their smartphone or tablet as soon as the credits start to roll.  Apps such as Shazam allow consumers to instantaneously identify the music they are looking for in a matter of seconds keeping the magic of the movies alive long after the popcorn has ended.”

Sales of individual tracks featured in blockbuster movies and hit TV series are also proving popular with digital music buyers.  In this week’s Official Classical Singles Chart, 10 of the Top 20 singles stem from film and TV works.  The recipient of this year’s Classic BRITs Outstanding Contribution to Music Award, Hans Zimmer, features twice with Time from the Leonardo DiCaprio sci-fi blockbuster, Inception, and music from the soundtrack to Iron Man.

John Craig OBE of First Night Records – the leading specialists in West End and Broadway musical theatre recordings and BPI member – added,

“As one of the leaders in the field of theatrical soundtracks we are delighted with the surge in digital downloads of Soundtracks sales, reflecting the increase in ticket sales over the last few years.  First Night Records was one of the first recording specialists to recognise the consumer demand for musical theatre soundtracks to be made available online.  We have worked hard to digitise everything we have ever recorded from promo EPs and demos to full original soundtracks.  We now consider ourselves a digital-focused business with the majority of our revenue coming from online music services, not just in the UK but around the world.”

The news comes days after the BBC’s Sound of Cinema poll which saw John Williams’ Star Wars Theme voted the nation’s favourite soundtrack from a list spanning 64 years of soundtrack history.  The five-time Oscar winner was last year honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his memorable film scores at The Classic BRIT Awards.

Film music will be once again recognised this week at the industry’s annual celebration of crossover and contemporary classical music on Wednesday 2nd October at the Royal Albert Hall.  The star-studded line-up will feature performances from Hans Zimmer, Lang Lang, Nicola Benedetti, and Ludovico Einaudi and will be hosted by Classic FM broadcaster, Myleene Klass.  Luciano Pavarotti will receive a posthumous Lifetime Achievement award.  The show will air on Sunday 6th October on ITV 1 at 10.15pm.

Chart: Biggest-selling original soundtracks 2013 (year-to-date)

POS      TITLE

1           LES MISERABLES                                                       MOTION PICTURE CAST RECORDING

2           THE GREAT GATSBY                                                 ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

3           THE MUSIC OF NASHVILLE - SEASON 1 VOL 1          ORIGINAL TV SOUNDTRACK

4           PITCH PERFECT                                                       ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

5           DJANGO UNCHAINED                                              ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

6           THE MUSIC OF NASHVILLE - SEASON 1 VOL 2          ORIGINAL TV SOUNDTRACK

7           TEEN BEACH MOVIE                                                 ORIGINAL TV SOUNDTRACK

8            ROCK OF AGES                                                       ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

9            MAMMA MIA                                                          ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

10          DIRTY DANCING                                                    ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK