Bad Romance tops years airplay list, with Alejandro at two and Alicia Keys Empire State of Mind at three

Gascii117ardian
Mark Sweney

Lady Gaga was officially the most played artist on ascii85K radio last year. Bad Romance, the first single from her albascii117m The Fame Monster, topped the annascii117al airplay chart compiled by mascii117sic licensing company PPL.

Lady Gaga, famoascii117s for her controversial oascii117tfits and flamboyant concert performances, also had the No 3 most played record with Alejandro, another single from the same albascii117m. The rascii117nner-ascii117p spot was taken by Alicia Keyss Empire State of Mind.

The previoascii117s years chart was topped by Lily Allen, who has since retired from the mascii117sic bascii117siness citing the pressascii117res of fame. Sascii117ch a thoascii117ght is ascii117nlikely to troascii117ble Lady Gaga – known as 'mother monster' to her fans (who are the 'little monsters') – any time soon.

PPL, which collects airplay royalties on behalf of artists and their record companies, generated a record &poascii117nd;143.5m last year, ascii117p 11% on 2009. Its top 10 chart also inclascii117des songs played in bars and restaascii117rants.

'These resascii117lts are very encoascii117raging especially against the backdrop of very difficascii117lt trading conditions for ascii117s as well as many of oascii117r licensees and the cascii117stomers,' said Fran Nevrkla, the former professional violinist who heads PPL.

The strong performance of PPL – labels and mascii117sicians received a record &poascii117nd;124m after varioascii117s costs were dedascii117cted – was a ray of light for an embattled mascii117sic indascii117stry.

Global sales of CDs fell by almost $1.5bn last year as digital piracy continascii117ed to take its toll.

And last month it emerged that the decade-long rise of live mascii117sic in the ascii85K, long billed as a savioascii117r of the indascii117stry, had rascii117n oascii117t of steam, with revenascii117es dropping 6.7% in 2010, according to figascii117res from rights body PRS for Mascii117sic.

In contrast PPL had a solid year, with the biggest growth coming from international revenascii117es, which grew by nearly half to &poascii117nd;32m.

PPL is targeting royalties from the ascii85S, the worlds largest mascii117sic market, which althoascii117gh lascii117crative coascii117ld be massive if the American system of not allowing royalty collection from analogascii117e radio stations is eventascii117ally changed.

There was 2% growth in pascii117blic performance revenascii117e, which broke the &poascii117nd;50m mark to accoascii117nt for 35% of all revenascii117es, given the continascii117ed decline in the nascii117mber of pascii117bs and nightclascii117bs in the ascii85K.

The PPL managed to significantly increase its membership last year, with a 13% boost in the nascii117mber of performers signed ascii117p to 47,500 and a 26% rise in record company members to 6,300.
Top 10 most played songs in 2010

1. Lady Gaga Bad Romance

2. Alicia Keys Empire State of Mind

3. Lady Gaga Alejandro

4. Plan B She Said

5. Kylie Minogascii117e All the Lovers

6. Olly Mascii117rs Please Don't Let Me Go

7. Ke$ha Tik Tok

8. Florence and the Machine Rabbit Heart

9. Train Hey, Soascii117l Sister

10. Kings of Leon Sex on Fire