It’s well established that Aussie musicians did nothing short of kill during the last 12 months, both at home and abroad. Most recently, Tone Deaf reported on Triple J’s top 100 most played tracks in 2014, a countdown dominated by homegrown artists, with four of the top five spots nabbed by Australian performers.
Meanwhile, across the pond, talk shows, festivals, touring circuits, and even charts couldn’t get enough of our best and brightest, with artists like Iggy Azalea, Vance Joy, and Sheppard leading the charge as A-pop slowly but surely makes its presence known both in Europe and the highly coveted US market.
Now, looking at ARIA’s end-of-year sales numbers, it appears 2014 may well and truly go down as the year that we fell in love with Aussie music once again. While the end-of-year sales charts for albums and singles were topped by foreigners, Sheppard, INXS, Hilltop Hoods, Chet Faker, and Sia all ranked highly.
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Brisbane tune-spinners Sheppard had the most popular Australian single of 2014, with their hit ‘Geronimo’ coming in fourth overall, landing behind the Pharrell Williams juggernaut ‘Happy’, Meghan Trainor’s inescapable ‘All About That Bass’, and Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake It Off’.
In fact, the top 20 was peppered with Aussies, with the top five rounded out by Justice Crew’s ‘Que Sera’, followed by Sia with ‘Chandelier’. Iggy Azalea’s ‘Fancy’ came in at 12 and the Aussie rapper also appeared on Ariana Grande’s ‘Problem’, which came in at 18.
Sydney electronic favourite Timmy Trumpet managed to nab the number nine spot with his dance floor anthem ‘Freaks’, while the pop rock sensation that is 5 Seconds of Summer closed out the top 20 with their single ‘She Looks So Perfect’. The album chart told a similar story.
While the list was topped by Ed Sheeran’s X, followed by Taylor Swift’s 1989, and the soundtrack to Disney’s Frozen, Aussies once again placed fourth with INXS’ The Very Best, whose sales were propelled by the Seven Network’s popular docudrama series about the group.
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Seven of the top 20 best selling albums of 2014 were the products of Australian musical minds, with Hilltop Hoods coming in at nine (Walking Under Stars), followed by Human Nature (Jukebox), 5 Seconds of Summer (5 Seconds Of Summer), Chet Faker (Built On Glass), and AC/DC (Rock Or Bust).
Meanwhile, homegrown rock legend Jimmy Barnes managed to come in at number 19. According to a report by Fairfax, 36 of the top 100 albums of 2014 were by Australian artists, which is nine more than the past two years, a significant jump, particularly with sales numbers hurting around the world.
Aussies also managed to sneak into the end-of-year sales charts abroad. According to end-of-year figures released by Nielsen Music, who keep track of sales over in the US, Iggy Azalea’s ‘Fancy’ was the fifth highest-selling digital single of 2014, also ranking highly in the on-demand streaming charts.
The 25 Best-Selling Albums Of 2014
1. Ed Sheeran – X
2. Taylor Swift – 1989
3. Frozen Soundtrack
4. INXS – The Very Best
5. Coldplay – Ghost Stories
6. Sam Smith – In The Lonely Hour
7. Katy Perry – Prism
8. Michael Bublé – Christmas
9. Hilltop Hoods – Walking Under Stars
10. Human Nature – Jukebox
11. 5 Seconds Of Summer – 5 Seconds Of Summer
12. Chet Faker – Built On Glass
13. AC/DC – Rock Or Bust
14. One Direction – Four
15. Lorde – Pure Heroine
16. Foo Fighters – Sonic Highways
17. Barbra Streisand – Partners
18. Pharrell Williams – G I R L
19. Jimmy Barnes – 30:30 Hindsight
20. Arctic Monkeys – AM
21. Triple J’s Like A Version Volume 10
22. Guardians Of The Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1
23. London Grammar – If You Wait
24. The Amity Affliction – Let The Ocean Take Me
25. Pink Floyd – The Endless River
The 25 Best-Selling Singles Of 2014
1. Pharrell Williams – ‘Happy’
2. Meghan Trainor – ‘All About That Bass’
3. Taylor Swift – ‘Shake It Off’
4. Sheppard – ‘Geronimo’
5. Justice Crew – ‘Que Sera’
6. Sia – ‘Chandelier’
7. Ed Sheeran – ‘Thinking Out Loud’
8. Sam Smith – ‘Stay With Me’
9. Timmy Trumpet ft. Savage – ‘Freaks’
10. G.R.L. – ‘Ugly Heart’
11. John Legend – ‘All Of Me’
12. Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – ‘Fancy’
13. A Great Big World ft. Christina Aguilera – ‘Say Something’
14. Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne – ‘Rather Be’
15. Milky Chance – ‘Stolen Dance’
16. Nico & Vinz – ‘Am I Wrong?’
17. Paloma Faith – ‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This’
18. Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea – ‘Problem’
19. George Ezra – ‘Budapest’
20. 5 Seconds Of Summer – ‘She Looks So Perfect’
21. Mr. Probz – ‘Waves’
22. The Veronicas – ‘You Ruin Me’
23. Joel Fletcher Feat. Savage – ‘Swing’
24. The Madden Brothers – ‘We Are Done’
25. Idina Menzel – ‘Let It Go’
