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Ed Sheeran and Calvin Harris top PPL’s most played charts for 2019

By Chris Cooke | Published on Monday 22 June 2020

Do you remember 2019? Like, really remember it? They were crazy times. People worked in offices. Offices! Bands played gigs. Gigs! Clubs were a thing people went to. Clubs! There were festivals to enjoy. Festivals! I flew to a foreign country and spoke to real people in a room. Flying! Foreign countries! Real people! Rooms!

With all that working in offices, playing gigs, going to clubs, enjoying festivals and flying to foreign countries to speak to real people in a room, it’s a wonder anyone had any time left to listen to the radio or watch TV.

But listen to the radio and watch TV they did. And sometimes that listening to the radio and watching TV involved music. Mainly music by Calvin Harris and Ed Sheeran it turns out. It’s almost as if British radio and TV didn’t get the memo about grime being the most exciting genre of the year. But still, music, woo!

Anyway, UK record industry collecting society PPL has crunched all the numbers its gathers by licensing music to British radio stations and TV channels – and also all the data it has about music being played in public spaces (you know, back when there were such things) – to create two top tens, the most played artists and tracks of 2019.

Why publish those lists now in June 2020? Well, partly to remind you about those weird old times when life didn’t mainly revolve around face masks, Zoom calls and queuing for supermarkets. And also to coincide with the society publishing its Annual Review for labels and performers.

Says PPL boss Peter Leathem: “From rising stars to established names, the PPL Most Played Charts for 2019 showcase the songs and artists that soundtracked our year. British music was particularly popular, with Ed Sheeran maintaining his popularity while acts such as Tom Walker and Mabel established themselves on the airwaves. Congratulations to all those featured in our charts as well as the music businesses that invest in and support their success”.

PPL’s most played tracks of 2019

1. Calvin Harris & Rag N Bone Man – Giant
2. Mark Ronson & Miley Cyrus – Nothing Breaks Like A Heart
3. Sam Smith & Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
4. Ed Sheeran & Justin Bieber – I Don’t Care
5. Tom Walker – Just You And I
6. Kygo & Whitney Houston – Higher Love
7. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho
8. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved
9. Mabel – Don’t Call Me Up
10. Pink – Walk Me Home

PPL’s most played artists of 2019

1. Ed Sheeran
2. Calvin Harris
3. Sam Smith
4. Jess Glynne
5. Pink
6. George Ezra
7. Rita Ora
8. Little Mix
9. Coldplay
10. Maroon 5