U.K. music licensing company PPL delivered record revenues last year, generating £272.6m, a year-on-year increase of 7.8%.

It’s the highest figure in the company’s 89-year history. The number was boosted by the bounce back of revenues from the use of recorded music in public places, which grew 39.8% to £100.8m (a figure that’s also up from the pre-pandemic collection of £99.6m).

Revenues from the licensing of recorded music for radio, TV and online grew 8.4% to £94m. International revenues dipped 17% to £77.8m; PPL says this is due to the proportion of income collected from past periods declining as a result of CMOs speeding up distribution payouts.

More than 165k musicians and rightsholders received royalties from PPL last year, up 12.6% on 2021.

PPL Chief Exec Peter Leathem said the results are “a testament to the quality of the team, the technology and our data at PPL; but that is nothing without the creativity and hard work of our members, who create the millions of high quality recordings being enjoyed by fans every day.”

The U.K. is back to its usual performance at the Eurovision Song Contest after placing second to last with this year’s entry, Mae Muller, on Saturday.

Broadcaster BBC said the final was the most-watched in history, with viewers averaging at 9.9m.

Capitol U.K. signing Muller, who was chosen to represent by TaP Management, scored 24 points with “I Wrote a Song.” The U.K. had hoped for a better placing after Sam Ryder scored a long-awaited victory by coming in second last year—a process that was also helmed by TaP.

Still, “I Wrote a Song” is winning in other areas—the track is heading for the U.K.’s Official Singles Top 10 after rising 36 places to #9 in the midweeks.

Eurovision took place in Liverpool and Sweden was crowned winner with singer Loreen, who claimed her second victory.

Ed Sheeran maintains his perfect record as his sixth album, – (Subtract), is his sixth #1 on the Official Albums Chart. Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding remain #1 at singles for a fifth week.

Sheeran’s – (Subtract) (Atlantic) becomes the fastest-selling album of 2023, shifting 76k chart units in its opening week. The best-selling vinyl album of the week, 71% of its total was in physical formats.

Subtract also sees Sheeran move ahead of The 1975 in the list of acts who have hit #1 with all of their studio releases. Sheeran’s string started in 2011 with +.

Other new arrivals on the chart include Manchester rapper TUNDE, whose debut First Lap (Tunde) opens at #4. The Reckoning (Destruct) from former Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan debuts at #17 while Therapy?, the Northern Ireland rock trio, register their highest-charting album in 25 years with Hard Cold Fire (Marshall) at #29.

A few records had interesting rebounds.

Post Malone’s The Diamond Collection (Mercury/Republic) leapt 11 places to a new peak of #15 as he kicked off the U.K. and Ireland leg of his Twelve Carat Tour. Taylor Swift’s Speak Now (Big Machine) re-entered the Top 40 for the first time in 13 years after she announced it would be her next re-recording project. The album is up 54 places to #23. And Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream (Virgin) returned to the Top 40 for the first time in a decade at #38 following her performance at last weekend’s Coronation Concert.

At singles, Harris & Goulding’s “Miracles” (Columbia) maintains the top slot while David Kushner’s “Daylight” (Miserable Music) is snapping at its heels and Sheeran’s “Eyes Closed” is up three slots to #3.

Sheeran registers his 59^th and 60^th Top 40 singles as “Boat” rises to #15 and “Curtains” opens at #16. ATTRAKT’s FIFTY FIFTY, the first K-pop girl group in to enter the Top 10, sees their “Cupid” rise to a new peak of #8.

Following the weekend’s coronation of King Charles III, The Krown Jewelz’s “Scrap The Monarchy” claims the week’s highest new entry at #9.

Florence + The Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over” returns to the Top 40 for the first time in 13 years thanks to its viral moment on TikTok ignited by its use in Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 3.

Buzzy British DJ, producer and singer-songwriter Nia Archives has signed a worldwide publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music.

Last year, Archives was shortlisted for BRITs Rising Star and has garnered widespread support from the likes of BBC Radio, Amazon Music, Apple and Spotify.

Signed to Island, Archives is described as making “soft-hearted lo-fi jungle for introverted extroverts.” Last year, she released her Forbidden Feelingz EP, the title track of which has amassed more than 20m streams. Her recent single, “Baianá,” which arrived with her latest EP, has more than 10m streams.

“Nia is a force to be reckoned with,” Amber Davis, head of A&R at Warner Chappell Music U.K., said. “She has set the scene alight with her incredible production and fresh take on a classic sound. Seeing her live and how the crowd reacted to her really blew my mind and it’s a rarity to come across someone who has it all.”

As Ed Sheeran heads toward his sixth U.K. #1 album, Atlantic U.K. Marketing Director Sam Spencer details the label’s hopes and dreams for the busiest man in pop.

Already the U.K.’s fastest-selling album of 2023, - aka Subtract has three tracks in the singles Top 20. Still, this campaign is less about the numbers, says Spencer, for an album that sees Sheeran return to his singer/songwriter roots.

“We have some private numbers that we’d like to hit but we’re not laser focused on that. This project is all about taste and tone. Our main focus is all about the storytelling, trying to stop traffic with the creative that we’ve put around the album, reconnecting with fans around the world and critical acclaim for something that's so deeply personal.”

The first official single from -, “Eyes Closed,” became Sheeran’s 12th #1 in the U.K. as a lead artist in April. To date, the track has tallied 143m global streams and sits at #3 in the U.K midweeks. It was followed by album taster-track “Boat” (#12 today). “Curtains” is the next focus track, which is the highest new U.K. singles chart entry at #10 this week, “but we want to see what fans take to and pivot towards,” Spencer says.

Other campaign highlights include an Apple Music Live performance on Wednesday, the recent arrival of Sheeran’s The Sum of It All documentary series on Disney+, and 200 fan events that took place all over the world on Friday. The activity was buoyed on Thursday by a victory for Sheeran in his copyright infringement lawsuit. Sheeran’s U.S. tour started in Texas over the weekend; he will visit stadiums across the U.S. in the summer alongside smaller theater shows.

Fourteen videos of – songs dropped on Friday, directed by Mia Barnes and shot in the freezing cold coast of Suffolk in November. Annie Leibovitz did all the photography for the campaign. (Expect some “very fun” behind the scenes content to arrive over the next few weeks, says Spencer).

Other key team members include Grumpy Management’s Stuart Camp and Gabby Cawthorne, Atlantic U.K co-President Ed Howard, the Atlantic U.S. team, led by Julie Greenwald and Gregg Nadel, and Warner leadership Tony Harlow and Max Lousada.

“These albums are a monumental effort from everybody in every corner of the world,” Spencer concludes. “A massive shout out to everyone that's working on the project in every territory to get it to release date and for making it all feel so amazingly beautiful.”

Ed Sheeran is heading for #1 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart with - (Atlantic) shifting more than 56k sales so far. Over on singles, Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding remain on top.

At the midweek point, - (aka Subtract) looks set to become Sheeran’s sixth U.K. #1. The set has already claimed the title of 2023’s fastest-seller, surpassing the 41k chart units sold by Lana Del Rey’s Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd. (Polydor).

Nines’ Crop Circles 2 (Warner Records) remains at #2 today with the self-released debut project from Manchester rapper Tunde, First Lap, new at #3. The first solo album from Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan, The Reckoning (Destruct), is #4. Irish band Therapy? could claim their third Top 10 with Hard Cold Fire (Marshall) starting at #9.

On the U.K.’s Official Singles midweeks, “Miracle” (Columbia) by Harris and Goulding looks set for a fifth week at #1.

“Cupid” (Parlophone) by Fifty Fifty is up one to #8, while “Baby Don’t Hurt Me” (Warner Music) by David Guetta, Anne-Marie and Coi Leray rises two to #11. Sheeran has this week’s highest new entry with “Curtains” at #10, followed by “Boat” at #12.

The Lottery Winners have their first U.K. Official Albums #1 while “Miracle” (Columbia) claims a fourth week on top at singles.

Anxiety Replacement Therapy (Modern Sky), the Manchester band’s fifth set, is the biggest release this week on both physical formats and digital downloads.

At #2, rapper Nines nets his fourth Top 5 with Crop Circle 2 (Warner Records). Jessie Ware’s That! Feels Good! (EMI) is also new at #3.

At #4, The National’s First Two Pages of Frankenstein (4AD) is their fifth U.K. Top 10. Heatwave in the Cold North (Distiller) by Reverend and the Makers enters at #6, while Blood Orange (Good Soldier) by Freya Ridings charts at #7.

The Damned’s Darkadelic (earMUSIC) rounds out this week’s new Top 10 entries at #9.

On the U.K.’s Official Singles chart, Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding remain at #1 with “Miracle.” The track is the most-streamed song this week with 5.4m plays.

“Daylight” (Miserable Music) by David Kushner holds tight at #2, while Libianca’s “People” (5K Records) rebounds one to #3. “React” (Relentless) by Switch Disco f/Ella Henderson reaches a new peak at #7. FIFTY FIFTY are the first K-pop girl group to enter the Top 10 as “Cupid” (ATTRAKT) rises to #9.

Following the release of his fourth album, Nines also has his first Top 10 as “Tony Soprano” lifts one to #10.

Thirteen artists have been named as the first recipients of the BPI's BRIT Billion award for reaching 1b U.K. streams. ABBA, Coldplay, Ellie Goulding and more are on the list.

Other artists honored are AJ Tracey, Anne-Marie, George Ezra, Headie One, Lewis Capaldi, Mariah Carey, RAYE, Rita Ora, Sam Smith and the late Whitney Houston.

The BRIT Billion award represents the first time in the certifications program's five-decade history that it officially recognizes an artist’s combined success across multiple projects.

The 1 billion career total includes tracks an artist has appeared on either as the principal performer or as a featured artist as credited by the Official Charts.