Music Week has revealed the recorded music label, albums and singles rankings for 2024. Now it’s time for the airplay results.
In the streaming era, radio’s vast audience – almost 51 million people tuning in weekly – remains important for artists and labels.
We can exclusively reveal that Island EMI came out on top of the radio airplay rankings in 2024, according to Radiomonitor’s rankings. The Universal Music UK company took 21.73% of the year’s Top 100 singles based on the impact measurement (the total audience reach calculated from the radio plays amassed by the label’s tracks).
Island had a particularly strong year with talent including Noah Kahan (Stick Season was the No.1 single of 2024 on sales rankings and No.2 on airplay); (pictured) Hozier (No.6 on airplay with Too Sweet); Post Malone (No.9 on airplay with I Had Some Help feat. Morgan Wallen); Chappell Roan (No.27 – Good Luck, Babe!); and Ariana Grande (No.36 – Yes, And?), among others.
It’s worth pointing out that the merger of EMI and Island in the autumn has played a big role in this latest airplay result, especially as Radiomonitor has combined their radio impacts for the whole of 2024 (they were separate entities before the autumn).
Nevertheless, Island EMI’s 21.73% share of Top 100 radio impacts last year comfortably outstrips the combined share of 19.42% for Island Records and EMI Records in 2023. In 2024, Island had nine tracks in the airplay Top 100 (including three in the Top 10), while EMI had 12 thanks to heavy rotation for songs from Taylor Swift and Lewis Capaldi.
Scroll down to read more on the airplay rankings for 2024.
Island won the A&R trophy at the Music Week Awards and they have just celebrated a BBC Sound Of 2025 victory for Chappell Roan.
Here, EMI Island president Louis Bloom discusses the airplay results (focusing on those Island Records successes for which he was responsible throughout 2024) and underlines the importance of radio for new and returning artists…
How does it feel to achieve this airplay result following a strong year for the label?
“2024 was a great year for the label with all departments contributing to the success of many different artist campaigns. We are extremely proud and grateful to our radio partners for being a big part of that success.”
What was key to Island's airplay success in 2024, in terms of the range of broadcasters and the impact of key tracks?
“The key to the success is great songs being supported by multiple radio networks. Lola Young, The Last Dinner Party, Noah Kahan, Hozier, Post Malone, Chappell Roan, Ariana Grande, The Weeknd and more all received high rotation from multiple BBC and commercial radio networks.”
Noah Kahan had the No.1 OCC and No.2 airplay hit of 2024. What's the journey been for Stick Season, what were the key moments at radio in terms of support and playlisting?
“As soon as Stick Season picked up its first few plays and playlist adds towards the end of 2023, it very quickly began to snowball and there was no stopping it as we entered 2024. There was something about the sound of the song, the feelings it evoked and the connection listeners felt with Noah as an artist, that really suited the time of the year. We are delighted its success carried on through the whole of 2024.”
Radio remains unique in the way it helps tell our artists' stories
Louis Bloom
UK-signed Hozier is a long-term Island artist, how did you build on the 2023 album campaign with further success and a huge hit last year?
“Hozier’s No.1 success is particularly gratifying. I signed Andrew over 14 years ago and to see him have a No.1 single, in the UK and the US, after all this time, and to watch him grow as an artist, has been one of the greatest highlights of my career. Andrew’s words and music have always seemed to connect with the public in an almost quiet way, but with the incredible support at radio for Too Sweet, the biggest selling, domestically signed, song of the year, Andrew has become, without doubt, one of the biggest and most successful artists in the UK and across the globe.”
How important is radio to artist campaigns in 2025?
“Radio remains a vital piece of the puzzle for both developing our artists and building a hit. Last year 50 million people listened to the radio each week, that’s 90% of the UK’s adult population, this was a record high, breaking 2022’s previous record. But not only is radio vital in taking our songs to a huge audience, radio remains unique in the way it helps tell our artists' stories. When a DJ or station champions an artist, it brings the listener along for the journey and gives it the stamp of approval you don’t get from other mediums.”
AIRPLAY RANKINGS
Former airplay market share victors Atlantic were in second place for 2024 with a 16.8% share (down slightly from 17.4% in the prior year).
The Warner Music UK label also claimed the year’s biggest airplay hit (Lose Control by Teddy Swims) among its 17 Top 100 entries. Teddy Swims had Atlantic's second biggest radio hit with The Door (No.15), followed by Alibi by Ella Henderson and Rudimental (No.18).
Atlantic also had the biggest track on Radiomonitor’s TV airplay rankings with Jack Harlow’s Lovin’ On Me.
Warner-Parlophone (who merged in 2023) were No.3 in the Top 100 airplay market share rankings (14.72%), thanks to hits from Benson Boone (No.3 with Beautiful Things), Dasha (No.4 with Austin), Coldplay (No.10 with Feelslikeimfallinginlove) and Dua Lipa (No.13 with Houdini). The company had 11 Top 100 airplay entries.
They were closely followed at No.4 by Polydor (14.34%), who had multiple airplay hits from Sabrina Carpenter and Becky Hill among their 16 Top 100 entries. Polydor also came out on top on the TV airplay ranking (16.79%), ahead of Warner-Parlophone (16.13%) and Island EMI (15.4%).
Sony Music UK labels Columbia (10.72%) and RCA (8.92%) took fifth and sixth place, respectively, on the radio airplay market shares. RCA had a Top 10 airplay smash with Myles Smith’s Stargazing among their nine entries, while Columbia made a Top 20 impact with Calvin Harris & Rag ‘N’ Bone Man, Perrie and Kygo & Ava Max along with a further eight entries.
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