Well, no surprises whatsoever, presumably, that Robbie Williams, Coldplay and Dido are the most successful artists in the UK so far this century, if success is measured in album sales, which it might as well be. According to the survey released by Channel 4 this weekend as part of the series of programmes leading up to the Hall Of Fame induction ceremony on 16 Nov, the three best sellers have sold 6.3 million, 6.2 million and 5.7 million albums respectively (and that doesn't count greatest hits or live albums - of which Robbie, in particular, sold many more).
Much of the rest of the top ten was pretty predictable too - Eminem (4), Westlife (5), Norah Jones (6), Blue (7), Oasis (10) - although I had forgotten how popular Stereophonics (8) still are (though presumably V2's accountants haven't) and that Anastacia (9) is a bigger artist in the UK than Kylie, Will Young and Craig David, all of whom sat just outside the top ten.