The ranking of best album sales in France in 2024 is dominated for the second consecutive year by Werenoi, rapper from the Ile-de-France region, ahead of PLK and Indochina, as announced Thursday January 9 by the National Phonographic Edition Union (Snep). “With eighteen of the twenty best-selling albums of 2024, the public praises the projects of artists produced in France – and singing in French – all generations and all musical styles combined, with a special mention for rap which dominates the head of this classification”, details Snep.
Werenoi, originally from Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis), continues his rise to the top of the Top albums, carried by Pyramid 2, but also by Carréan album which received a Flame award in April. He thus continues to attract a large audience, consolidating his position as leader on the French music scene.
PLK, French rapper of Polish origin, ranks second with “Room 140”a dense mixtape divided into three parts. His unique style and his ability to explore different facets of rap have allowed him to once again establish himself among the most popular artists in the country. Third place goes to the pop rock group Indochine, led by Nicola Sirkis, who is enjoying a triumphant return with their double album Babylon Babylonwhich he will defend during a tour starting at the end of January. This group, a true figure of the French music scene, continues to seduce its loyal audience thanks to its inimitable style and its captivating stage presence.
For his part, Jul, the Marseille artist, included eight of his projects in this annual ranking, as in 2023, but did not reach such a high position, settling for 10th place, while he had occupied 6th position the previous year. Despite this slight decline, Jul remains an essential figure in French rap, with popularity as strong as ever. At the same time, pianist Sofiane Pamart shines in the Top Classique, occupying first place. For streaming, 138 billion streams were recorded last year, up 14%, with notable successes like “Spider” of the Gims-Dystinct duo, “Little Genius” by Jungeli and “Imagine” by the Carbonne revelation.
-Female artists remain under-represented at the top of the ranking, despite the strong performances of Billie Eilish (4th), Zaho de Sagazan (6th) and Taylor Swift (9th). Snep noted that within the Top 200, which offers an overview of the musical landscape, “41 projects are female, or a little more than one album in five”, emphasizing that this is a “encouraging development” that is necessary “to strenghten”. This finding highlights persistent inequalities while recognizing the progress made.
Top albums include physical sales of CDs and vinyls, downloads and streaming listens, converted into sales equivalents. In March, Snep will present the results of the recorded music market in France, whose turnover amounted to 968 million euros in 2023. This report should provide a better understanding of market trends and future developments. in the music industry.
