The UK Album Downloads Chart is a weekly music chart that ranks the most downloaded albums in the United Kingdom. During the 2000s, the chart was compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British music industry, and was based solely on Sunday-to-Saturday sales of non-subscription music downloads from selected online stores. The most successful artist of the decade was the British band Snow Patrol, who spent eight weeks at number one with their albums Eyes Open and A Hundred Million Suns. The record label that spent the most weeks at number one was Island Records – with an artist roster that included Florence and the Machine, Amy Winehouse and Keane, Island spent 22 weeks at number one with nine different albums.
Before the advent of music downloads, only sales of physical formats—such as CD, vinyl and cassette tape—contributed towards positions on the UK music charts. The first chart to record sales of downloads was the UK Singles Downloads Chart, which was launched in September 2004 to list weekly sales of single downloads. Downloaded singles were growing considerably at this time, rising ten-fold in the first half of 2005 compared to the same period in 2004. As single downloads grew in popularity, so did album downloads – 1.8 million albums were downloaded in 2005; a further 825,000 were downloaded during the first three months of 2006.
As a result of this growth, on 9 April 2006 the OCC began to include download sales alongside physical sales when compiling the UK Albums Chart. That same day, the OCC also launched a dedicated weekly chart based solely on sales of album downloads in the UK. Approximately 64,000 albums were downloaded during the week of the chart's launch, of which just under 2,000 were of This New Day by the British band Embrace, the chart's first number one. By the end of 2006 nearly 2.8 million album downloads had been purchased, which comprised 1.8% of the total album sales. The following year the UK's online music revenue grew to , which made the nation Europe's largest consumer of online music. By the end of the decade over 25 million albums had been downloaded and the market comprised 12.5% of total album sales. Following Embrace, a further 99 artists topped the chart; fifteen did so with two albums. Including original soundtracks and compilations, a total of 121 albums reached number one during the 2000s. , the UK Album Download Chart continues to be published each week by the OCC.
Number-one albums +Keynth album to top the UK Album Downloads ChartreReturn of an album to number oneMost-downloaded album of the year 20062007200820092010s → ArtistAlbumRecord labelReached number one(for the week ending)Weeks atnumber one1EmbraceThis New DayIndependiente1213Shayne WardSyco14Gnarls BarkleySt. ElsewhereWarner Bros.15Snow PatrolEyes Open Fiction16Red Hot Chili PeppersStadium ArcadiumWarner Bros.1Snow PatrolEyes Open Fiction27Zero 7Atlantic18Twelve Stops and HomeIsland19KeaneUnder the Iron SeaIsland310MuseBlack Holes and RevelationsHelium 3/Warner Bros.211RazorlightRazorlightVertigo212UndiscoveredPolydor213Back to BasicsRCA1Snow PatrolEyes Open Fiction314FutureSex/LoveSoundsJive115Scissor SistersTa-DahPolydor216Sam's TownVertigo2RazorlightRazorlightVertigo117RudeboxChrysalis118Back to BlackIsland119Heffa/14th Floor120Twenty FiveAegean121OasisStop the ClocksBig Brother122Take ThatBeautiful WorldPolydor5Back to Black Island323Hats Off to the Buskers1965124Not Too LateBlue Note125MikaLife in Cartoon MotionCasablanca/Island326Kaiser ChiefsYours Truly, Angry MobB-Unique/Polydor127Arcade FireNeon BibleSonovox128Introducing Joss StoneRelentless/Virgin1Take ThatBeautiful WorldPolydor129Tim's HouseBlueberry Pie130Kings of LeonBecause of the TimesHand Me Down231VersionColumbia132Arctic MonkeysFavourite Worst NightmareDomino333Linkin ParkMinutes to MidnightWarner Bros.134Maroon 5It Won't Be Soon Before LongA&M/Octone235Love It When I Feel Like ThisB-Unique/Polydor136Bon JoviLost HighwayMercury137Icky ThumpXL138EditorsKitchenware139We Are the NightVirgin140Cherry GhostThirst for RomanceHeavenly141We'll Live and Die in These TownsWarner Bros.142This Is the LifeVertigo143Hand Built by RobotsUgly Truth544Hard-FiOnce Upon a Time in the WestAtlantic/Necessary145GraduationRoc-A-Fella146All the Lost SoulsCustard/Atlantic147Foo FightersEchoes, Silence, Patience & GraceRCA248MatinéeXL149StereophonicsPull the PinV2150RCA151BlackoutJive152EaglesLong Road out of EdenPolydor153SpiritSyco254XParlophone1SpiritSyco155Led ZeppelinMothershipAtlantic156Call Me IrresponsibleReprise1SpiritSyco157RadioheadIn RainbowsXL258Various artistsClubbers Guide '08Ministry of Sound159Scouting for GirlsScouting for GirlsEpic160Adele19XL161Sleep Through the StaticBrushfire/Island262Join With UsIsland163GoldfrappSeventh TreeMute164DuffyRockferryA&M465R.E.M.AccelerateWarner Bros.166St. JudeA&M167KonkVirgin168Domino169MadonnaHard CandyWarner Bros.270PendulumIn SilicoWarner Bros.171We Started NothingColumbia172UsherHere I StandLaFace1DuffyRockferryA&M173ColdplayViva la Vida or Death and All His Friends Parlophone574Original soundtrackMamma Mia!Polydor175Various artistsNow That's What I Call Music! 70Virgin EMI/UMTV2Original soundtrackMamma Mia!Polydor176Phonogenic277ForthParlophone278GlasvegasGlasvegasColumbia179MetallicaDeath MagneticVertigo180Kings of LeonOnly by the NightHand Me Down281OasisDig Out Your SoulBig Brother182KeanePerfect SymmetryIsland183Original soundtrackHigh School Musical 3: Senior YearWalt Disney184Snow PatrolFiction2ForthParlophone185Various artistsNow That's What I Call Music! 71Virgin EMI/UMTV186Day & AgeVertigo187Take ThatPolydor188Various artistsChristmas Hits – 80 Festive FavouritesRhino/Sony389King of PopEpic1We Started NothingColumbia1Phonogenic190White LiesTo Lose My Life...Fiction191Working on a DreamColumbia192Lady Gaga Interscope193It's Not Me, It's YouRegal294Invaders Must DieTake Me to the Hospital195U2No Line on the HorizonMercury196All I Ever WantedRCA197Big Brother1It's Not Me, It's YouRegal1Lady Gaga Interscope198DovesKingdom of RustHeavenly1Lady Gaga Interscope199Depeche ModeSounds of the UniverseMute1100Music for the PeopleWarner Bros.1It's Not Me, It's YouRegal1101Green Day21st Century BreakdownReprise1102EminemRelapseInterscope2103Sunny Side UpAtlantic1104KasabianWest Ryder Pauper Lunatic AsylumColumbia2105Number OnesEpic2106Florence and the MachineLungsIsland6107Ready for the WeekendColumbia1108Arctic MonkeysHumbugDomino2109Jamie TKings & QueensVirgin1110MuseHelium 3/Warner Bros.1111Dizzee RascalTongue n' CheekDirtee Stank1112ParamoreBrand New EyesFueled by Ramen1113Mumford & SonsSigh No MoreIsland1114EditorsIn This Light and on This EveningKitchenware1115OvercomeSyco1116Fascination1117Foo FightersGreatest HitsRCA1118Reality Killed the Video StarVirgin1119EchoSyco1120I Dreamed a DreamSyco2Various artistsChristmas Hits – 80 Festive FavouritesRhino/Sony1121Rage Against the MachineRage Against the MachineEpic1 20062007200820092010s →
By artist
Twelve artists spent four or more weeks at the top of the UK Album Downloads Chart during the 2000s. The totals below include only credited performances, and do not include appearances on original soundtracks or compilation albums. ArtistNumber-one albumsWeeks at number one14Arctic Monkeys25Coldplay15Duffy1515Florence and the Machine16Keane24Kings of Leon2425Snow Patrol28Take That2714
By record label Nine record labels spent eight or more weeks at the top of the UK Album Downloads Chart during the 2000s. Record labelNumber-one albumsWeeks at number oneA&M Records38Columbia Records68Fiction Records39Island Records922Parlophone39Polydor Records614Syco Music59Vertigo Records58Warner Bros. Records1012
Download sites During the 2000s, the UK Album Downloads Chart was compiled by the OCC using data from the following music download websites:
7digital Big Noise Music Bleep City 16 easyMusic HMV iTunes KarmaDownload Metacharge MSN Music The Music Engine Service MyCokeMusic Napster OD2 Playlouder Recordstore Sonic Selector Tesco Tiscali Music Virgin Wanadoo Wippit Woolworths
See also List of UK Compilation Chart number-one albums of the 2000s
Notes
References
External links Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100 at the Official Charts Company