2016 was a massive year for Australian music, with close to a third of the top 100 selling albums being local releases. In addition, 15 Australian singles were among the 100 biggest sellers – an impressive feat in a year that has seen huge single releases from international artists.
Not surprisingly, Adele’s 25 was the highest-selling album of last year, making this the second year running the British juggernaut has achieved this feat with the album. 25 has sold more than half a million copies in Australia alone, never dropping out of the Top 30 throughout the entire year. In addition, her album 21 was the 29th best-selling record of the album, with her debut 19 the 93rd top seller.
David Bowie also scored three albums in the top 100, obviously for less happy reasons. Blackstar was the eighth best-seller, while two best of collections landed in the 100: Nothing Has Changed (The Best Of David Bowie) at #15, and Best Of Bowie at #96.
In the world of singles, The Chainsmokers and Halsey’s mammoth hit ‘Closer’ was the biggest seller of the year, being certified 7x Platinum, and sitting in the top spot for nine of the 52 weeks. They also scored the fifth highest-seller with ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ featuring Daya, 34th with ‘Too Good’ and 89th with ‘All We Know.’
Although Adele’s 25 may appear to have hung around the charts for ages, this is nothing compared to the stamina of Michael Bublé’s Christmas album, which has spent six consecutive years as one of the ten best-selling albums in Australia. Seems Bublé is now a bonafide Aussie Chrissy tradition.
Another pleasing Australian tradition seems to be supporting local artists, with 31 of these charting within the Top 100 albums of the year. Keith Urban’s Ripcord (not technically an Aussie…) was the second-highest seller of the year, never leaving the Top 20 during its chart run (which is still going). Urban is joined in the Top 10 by John Farnham and Olivia Newton John’s Friends For Christmas as the sixth best seller, and Jessica Mauboy’s The Secret Daughter soundtrack, which was the seventh best seller.
Lower down we saw Hilltop Hoods at lucky #13 with Drinking From The Sun, Walking Under Stars Restrung, Flume’s Skin at #16, and Sia’s This is Acting at #18.
Singles-wise Flume dominated the year, with ‘Never Be Like You’ featuring Kai at #4 and ‘Say It’ featuring Tove Lo at #20. He was joined in the Top 20 by Sia’s ‘Cheap Thrills’ at #8, and Hilltop Hoods featuring Montaigne and Tom Thumb at #18 with ‘1955’.
ARIA CEO Dan Rosen said, “2016 was an exciting year on the ARIA Charts, and proved to be an outstanding year for our local artists with 22 Australian Singles and Albums soaring to the top of the charts – seven up from 2015. It is extremely pleasing to see 31 Aussie albums in top 100 this year. This is a great achievement for our local industry and shows how Australian music fans have embraced our local artists.”
ARIA Top 10 Singles of 2016
1. The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey ‘Closer’
2. Drake featuring Wizkid & Kyla ‘One Dance’
3. Lukas Graham ‘7 Years’
4. Flume featuring Kai ‘Never Be Like You’
5. The Chainsmokers featuring Daya ‘Don’t Let Me Down’
6. Calvin Harris featuring Rihanna ‘This Is What You Came For’
7. Justin Timberlake ‘Can’t Stop The Feeling’
8. Sia ‘Cheap Thrills’
9.Twenty One Pilots ‘Stressed Out’
10. Justin Bieber ‘Love Yourself’
ARIA Top 10 Albums of 2016
1. Adele ‘25’
2. Keith Urban ‘Ripcord’
3. Beyonce ‘Lemonade’
4. Soundtrack ‘Molly (Soundtrack From The TV Series)’
5. Michael Bublé ‘Christmas’
6. John Farnham & Olivia Newton John ‘Friends For Christmas’
7. Jessica Mauboy ‘Secret Daughter (Songs From The TV Series)’
8. David Bowie ‘Blackstar’
9. Justin Bieber ‘Purpose’
10. Soundtrack ‘Suicide Squad: The Album’
