The nation’s biggest-selling artists revealed
Australian chart slayers 5 Seconds of Summer have become the first homegrown artist in 14 years to achieve the biggest selling single of the year with their No. 1 smash Youngblood.
The explosion of streaming makes it tough for local artists to match the chart power of international stars such as Drake, Post Malone and Ed Sheeran.
But the four lads from Sydney's western suburbs managed to beat the world's best to claim No. 1 on the ARIA end of year charts.
"We've always said to be recognised in our home country is more special than anything. To have the number one song of 2018 is a very proud moment for this band," the band said.
There was a strong Australian connection to the biggest-selling album in 2018.
The Greatest Showman soundtrack, helmed by the revered actor and musical performer Hugh Jackman, spent all year in the top 50, with 49 weeks in the top 10.
It has sold more than 300,000 copies and is the first soundtrack to claim No. 1 on the ARIA end of year chart since Moulin Rouge! in 2001.
Film soundtracks were big business for the music industry in 2018, with A Star Is Born and Bohemian Rhapsody also making the top 10 albums.
Greatest hits collections were also popular among the streamers and old school CD and download fans, with Queen propelled back into the top 10 off the back of the phenomenal success of Bohemian Rhapsody.
ABBA also ended the year with two of their best-of compilations in ARIA's end-of-year list off the back of the Mamma Mia sequel.
Eminem and P!nk also got assists back into the highest selling albums with their hits collections thanks to their successful new releases with Kamikaze and Beautiful Trauma, which made the top 10 for the year.
Unfortunately no Australian artist albums cracked the top 10. Only 19 locally produced records made the grade including old greatest hits offerings from INXS, Cold Chisel and Crowded House.
Amy Shark's Love Monster was the highest selling homegrown record coming in at No. 14, with Vance Joy's Nation of Two at No. 18 and Keith Urban's Graffiti U at No. 19.
"I put my heart and soul into this album, I'm so grateful to everyone who got Love Monster last year and made it the highest selling Australian artist album. This means so much to me," Shark posted.
But it remains a struggle for local artists to make an impression on the Top 100 singles. Only 11 songs made the grade in 2018 - up from nine in 2017.
Besides 5SOS at No. 1, Dean Lewis made it to No. 4 with his breakthrough smash Be Alright.
And then it was a long way down to the next local entry, with Amy Shark's I Said Hi at No. 31.
ARIA will continue to lobby streaming platforms to give local artists greater prominence on the influential playlists which are dominated by American and British singers and songwriters.
Commercial radio stations are also being challenged to give new songs a decent hearing on their playlists.
It was another cracker of a year for Ed Sheeran who had two records in the top 10 and four singles in the top 100 including the adorable Perfect at No.4.
Post Malone was everywhere thanks to his Beerbongs & Bentleys smash hit record and a phenomenal seven songs in the ARIA Top 100 singles including I Fell Apart and Psycho in the top 10.
Rising pop prince Khalid also ended the year with four big selling singles, with Drake, Ariana Grande and Marshmello with three hits each.
ARIA Top 20 singles
1 YOUNGBLOOD 5 Seconds Of Summer
2 GOD'S PLAN Drake
3 PERFECT Ed Sheeran
4 BE ALRIGHT Dean Lewis
5 MEANT TO BE Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line
6 I FALL APART Post Malone
7 PSYCHO Post Malone Feat. Ty Dolla $ign
8 GIRLS LIKE YOU Maroon 5 Feat. Cardi B
9 SHOTGUN George Ezra
10 EASTSIDE Benny Blanco Feat. Halsey & Khalid
11 BETTER NOW Post Malone
12 ROCKSTAR Post Malone Feat. 21 Savage
13 LOVE LIES Khalid & Normani
14 THESE DAYS Rudimental Feat. Jess Glynne, Macklemore & Dan Caplen
15 THE MIDDLE Zedd & Grey Feat. Maren Morris
16 IN MY FEELINGS Drake
17 ALL THE STARS Kendrick Lamar & SZA
18 IDGAF Dua Lipa
19 RIVER Eminem Feat. Ed Sheeran
20 ONE KISS Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa
ARIA Top 20 albums
1 THE GREATEST SHOWMAN Soundtrack
2 ÷ Ed Sheeran
3 A STAR IS BORN Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
4 BEERBONGS & BENTLEYS Post Malone
5 BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (THE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK) Queen
6 KAMIKAZE Eminem
7 SCORPION Drake
8 GREATEST HITS Queen
9 BEAUTIFUL TRAUMA P! nk
10 X Ed Sheeran
11 REPUTATION Taylor Swift
12 ? XXXTentacion
13 STONEY Post Malone
14 LOVE MONSTER Amy Shark
15 THE PLATINUM COLLECTION Queen
16 SWEETENER Ariana Grande
17 SHAWN MENDES Shawn Mendes
18 NATION OF TWO Vance Joy
19 GRAFFITI U Keith Urban
20 BLACK PANTHER: THE ALBUM Soundtrack
