
Bigger than Ed Sheeran – have you heard of Mrs Green Apple? Why are so many old bands in the album charts? (And so few in the singles chart?) Plus: The Wiggles!
From The Price of Music by Music Ally
February 25, 2026 · 37 min
About this episode
Steve and Stu discuss the current state of music charts, the rise of Mrs Green Apple, and the impact of older bands on album sales.
Your weekly guide to the music biz and how it all works. Become a Superfan of the podcast for free – and enjoy a weekly Superfan Lock-in section! This week... Steve and Stu dig into the charts – and take a look at a load of data that’s been released about singles, albums and streams: Do you know Japanese rock band Mrs Green Apple? They were the 13th biggest artist in the world last year. (Bigger than Eminem, Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber) The Fleetwood Mac chart syndrome: why are there so many old bands in the albums chart? And why are there so few bands in the Top 30 singles? Sam Fender and Olivia Dean are number one – but why has it taken 35 weeks after its release to reach the top spot? And in non-chart news: it’s been dragging on for a while… but now EU regulators have approved Universal’s deal to buy independent music firm Downtown Music . So what happens next? And why are so many people still so angry? Another children’s music superstar for Stu and Steve to discuss: behold, it’s The Wiggles ! How to get tickets into the hands of fans, not touts, Streaming full songs inside of TikTok (kind of...). And in the special post-show lock-in section just for our Patreon…
People in this episode
Hosts: Steve, Stu
Topics covered
- music charts
- album sales
- singles performance
- music industry news
- children's music
- streaming
Keywords
- Mrs Green Apple
- music charts
- Fleetwood Mac
- The Wiggles
- Universal
- Downtown Music
- Sam Fender
- Olivia Dean
- Zara Larsson
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Mrs Green Apple, Fleetwood Mac, Universal, Downtown Music, The Wiggles
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