The Official Charts Company has launched the Official Homegrown Albums Chart, a new weekly ranking dedicated to British artists. It tracks the biggest albums released by UK artists over the past 12 months, using the same streaming and sales data as the main Official Charts. The first chart debuted on 11 September, and highlights will be broadcast every Sunday on BBC Radio 1's new First Look show.

Eligibility is based on the BRIT Awards criteria: solo artists need to have been born in the UK, hold a UK passport or have lived in the UK for more than five years. For bands, at least half of the members must qualify.

Backed by AIM, the Music Managers Forum and Radio 1, it’s great news for homegrown artists looking to break through. The Official Charts Company hopes it will become a new measure of success for UK artists, "from exciting emerging talent through to some of our biggest established names". Read more here.

CDs are making a comeback. New figures from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) show that US CD revenue jumped by 58.6% in the first half of 2026, with 17.5 million units sold. It’s a real turnaround after sales fell throughout 2025. Vinyl kept climbing too, with revenue up 17.7%.

This is part of a wider retro tech revival. Gen Z in particular is embracing flip phones, digital cameras, typewriters and physical media, nostalgic for a time when technology felt simpler and came with fewer notifications and algorithms.

For artists, CDs are much cheaper to produce than vinyl, so they're an easy addition to your merch table. A signed copy after a gig also gives fans a personal keepsake to take home. Read more here.

This month's Artist of the Month is Ivana June ✨

Ivana June is a rising singer-songwriter with a dreamy, sun-soaked edge, pairing intimate songwriting with lush pop production and an effortlessly cool feel.

Her August single 'Verano' stood out to us straight away. It's a warm, escapist track that feels like summer in song form (fittingly, 'verano' is Spanish for summer), and we've had it on repeat ever since. With breezy melodies, layered textures and a golden-hour glow, it’s the perfect track for anyone not quite ready to let the season go. She's definitely one to watch! ☀️

Listen to Ivana June on Spotify and follow her journey on Instagram. Let's celebrate rising talent and support the artists shaping the future of independent music! 🎶

Apple has opened Apple Music Hall, a 600-capacity venue inside Battersea Power Station. Equipped with a spatial sound system, two recording and mixing studios, and a broadcast control room, it can turn one performance into a live show, global livestream and professional release.

Apple Music’s goal is for artists to play for a live audience and leave with a Spatial Audio recording, a broadcast-ready mix and multicamera footage. It's a new indication of where live music might be heading, with concerts increasingly becoming content for fans who can’t attend. Read more here.

Posting consistently can feel like a second job, but planning and batching content makes it easier. The goal is to create a system you can return to when life gets busy.

Set aside one day each month for filming and another for editing and scheduling. Aim to stay between two weeks to a month ahead by repurposing performances into multiple clips, and spend a few minutes each day engaging with other musicians and fans. Keep capturing rehearsals and studio sessions so you always have content ready.

👉 Read the full post on our Instagram here. If any of this resonates with you, get in touch! We'd love to chat about your project 💛

We’re really proud of the long-term growth our strategies deliver for artists, and we want to share the success The Grove has seen from their first four releases with us ⭐️

For each single, we ran an eight-week campaign, testing different song sections and visuals across Facebook and Instagram, then optimising the ads in real time. Increasing the save rate was a key focus throughout, as saves are an important signal for Spotify’s Discover Weekly and Radio playlists.

Their live audience grew too. After selling out 150-capacity and 200-capacity London shows, the band stepped up to The Lower Third for a 250-capacity headline show. We also filmed and edited a bank of professional content to support each release.

👉 Read the full results on our Instagram here. Want to grow your own project? Get in touch. We’d love to chat 💛