To coincide with the seventh annual Welsh Music Prize this Friday (October 20), music licensing organisation PPL has released a chart of the 12 most played Welsh artists on TV, radio and in public places over the past 12 years (the number of nominees for this year’s prize).
The Welsh Music Prize was founded in 2011 by Swn Festival promoter John Rostron and Swn co-founder and BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens. The prize was established to champion the best new music coming out of Wales or made by Welsh artists around the world.
Cwmaman rockers Stereophonics take the top spot having now released 39 UK singles since their debut ‘Look Like Chaplin’ in 1996, with Gwynedd-born blue-eyed soul songstress Duffy charting behind them at No. 2. Blackwood’s Manic Street Preachers complete the top three most played chart with a career that spans 29 years and 12 studio albums.
Charlotte Church is the seventh Most Played Welsh Artist of the last 12 Years according to the PPL chart.
Elsewhere, Dame Shirley Bassey narrowly misses out on making the top ten (No. 11) and there are entries for Bonnie Tyler (No. 4), Tom Jones (No .5) and Charlotte Church (No. 7).
Mid-noughties indie outfit The Automatic also appear inside the top ten (No. 8), no doubt helped by their 2006 Official UK Singles Chart top five hit ‘Monster’, a song that is now played regularly at the Cardiff City Stadium as part of the pre-match warm-up.
Newport based rockers Feeder are the sixth most played Welsh artists of the last 12 years.
Newport pop-punk outfit Feeder also appear in the chart (No. 6) as does 1980s chart-topper Shakin’ Stevens who takes the No.9 spot.
Outside of the top 12; there are also appearances from critically-acclaimed Welsh acts Catatonia (No. 14) and Super Furry Animals (No. 20), as well as more recent artists such as Catfish & The Bottlemen (No. 15) and Marina & The Diamonds (No. 18).
“It really is quite fascinating looking back at this chart of the most played Welsh artists of the past 12 years.,” says co-founder of the Welsh Music Prize, John Rostron, “When many of these artists broke, there was no social media or streaming services and the musical landscape was very different to that of today. Having said that, bands like Stereophonics continue to sell out stadiums and some of the Manics’ most recent work has been some of their strongest creatively to-date.”
Andy Fairweather Low (now a successful solo artist) fronted 60s band Amen Corner who made twelfth position in the Most Played Welsh Artists of The Last 12 Years.
Tim Silver, Head of Music Reporting Services at PPL adds, “This most played Welsh chart showcases the sheer breadth and diversity of music coming out of Wales over the past two decades. The fact that artists as influential and as diverse as the Manics, Tom Jones and Dame Shirley Bassey appear in the chart is a testament to the quality of Wales’ musical output over the years. The Welsh Music Prize champions the best in new Welsh music and PPL is proud to support it – good luck to all of the nominees this Friday.”
This year’s Welsh Music Prize ceremony will take place on October 20 at Milk & Sugar at The Old Library (Yr Hen Lyfrgell) in Cardiff and will be supported by PPL.
The 12 most played Welsh artists of the past 12 years
1.) Stereophonics
2.) Duffy
3.) Manic Street Preachers
4.) Bonnie Tyler
5.) Tom Jones
6.) Feeder
7.) Charlotte Church
8.) The Automatic
9.) Shakin’ Stevens
10.) Jem
11.) Dame Shirley Bassey
12.) Amen Corner
*Based on PPL data from June 2005 to July 2017