UK’s first Official Christian And Gospel Albums Chart to launch next w

The Official Charts Company are set to launch the UK’s first Official Christian And Gospel Albums Chart next week. Plus: The Official Top 10 Biggest Selling Christian and Gospel Albums of 2012 revealed!

In recognition of growing interest in Christian and Gospel music, the Official Charts Company will be unveiling the UK’s first Official Christian And Gospel Albums Chart next Monday (March 11). The new weekly sales-based Top 20, launched in partnership with Christian charity Compassion, will officially rank the success of Christian and Gospel recording artists for the first time in the UK.

The UK's 35,000 churches have seen attendance increase by 3% in 2012, which means that 7.6 million adults now attend church each month - 15% of the UK adult population. Teamed with an already thriving live Christian music scene and 2012 seeing 600 new albums released in the genre, the introduction of an official chart will provide support and exposure to this promising genre in 2013 and beyond.

Over in the US, Christian and Gospel music already accounts for 7% of all recorded music sales, with 26 million albums sold in 2012. To put its scale into context, that’s more than the sales of classical, blues and jazz combined!

Comments Omar Maskatiya, the Official Charts Company’s Director Of Charts:

“The popularity of Christian and Gospel music to date has largely been demonstrated through its vibrant live sector, however with the launch of the Official Christian And Gospel Albums Chart we can now, for the first time, shine the spotlight on those artists who are enjoying significant success through recorded music too. We look forward to working with Christian labels and supporting partner Compassion to bring the new chart and its featured talent to music fans of the UK.”

“This is a defining moment and changes the landscape for Christian and Gospel music in the UK,” adds Jonathan Brown, Managing Director of Integrity Music, the UK’s biggest Christian and Gospel record label who have supported the development of the chart say on behalf of Christian and Gospel music labels. “Christian music has always been a part of society in bringing hope and encouragement. With the development of this new chart it will bring significant profile to this growing genre.”

The new chart launches in partnership with Compassion UK, an international Christian child development and child advocacy ministry. CEO Ian Hamilton comments: “Compassion UK are thrilled to be partnering with the launch of the Official Christian And Gospel Albums Chart, we are honoured to have many ambassadors for our ministry among Christian music artists in the UK as we work to bring worship and justice together.”

The Official Christian And Gospel Albums Chart will be broadcast every week on leading Christian digital stations Premier Radio and UCB, as well as being published weekly at www.officialcharts.com, the home of the UK’s Official Charts online.

The Official Top 10 Biggest Selling Christian and Gospel Albums of 2012

To celebrate its launch, the Official Charts Company is also revealing below the Official Top 10 Biggest Selling Christian and Gospel Albums of 2012.

The biggest seller of the year, Friar Alessandro, was the first ever friar to sign a major label record deal and chart in the main Official Albums Chart Top 40 last year, peaking at Number 28 with debut album Voice Of Assisi. While singer/songwriter and Christian worship leader Matt Redman (with LZ7) also scooped a Top 20 hit on the Official Singles Chart with Twenty Seven Million, plus collected two gongs at this year’s Grammys for the title track of 2012’s second biggest selling Christian and Gospel album, 10,000 Reasons.

The full Top 10 is below:

© 2013 The Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.