Amazon reveals Alexa’s most-requested albums

Ed Sheeran’s ÷ is the most-requested album on Amazon’s voice-activated speakers, the company has revealed.

It’s hardly surprising: The record was the UK’s best-seller last year, shifting more than 2.5 million copies.

Hit records by George Ezra, Adele and Dua Lipa also feature in the Top 50, which was released to coincide with National Album Day.

But a closer look at Alexa’s most-popular albums reveals behaviour that may concern the music industry.

When people use voice commands to stream music, they consistently ask for songs they already know, with new artists largely frozen out of the picture.

For instance, Ed Sheeran accounts for three of the top five most-requested records; while there are multiple entries in the Top 50 for stars like Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Little Mix, and Katy Perry.

Just eight of Alexa’s top 50 albums were released this year, and only two of those were debuts – Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy and Anne-Marie’s Speak Your Mind.

By contrast, the Official Charts Company says 16 of this year’s best-selling albums are new releases, with three debuts in the Top 40.

BBC