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Which British artists topped the 2017 album chart?

Eight of the UK's 10 best-selling albums of 2017 were made by homegrown talent, with Drake and Pink the only outside entries.

Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Stormzy, and Sam Smith
Image: Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Stormzy and Sam Smith were some of the most listened-to artists of 2017
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British artists made eight of the top 10 best-selling albums of 2017 - with Ed Sheeran leading the way.

The singer-songwriter's album Divide topped the UK chart, with his previous record, 2014's Multiply, also making the top 10.

Rag 'n' Bone Man, Liam Gallagher, Sam Smith and Little Mix also featured, with Drake and Pink the only artists from outside the UK, and Taylor Swift charting at number 15.

Figures from the BPI and the Official Charts Company showed music consumption in the UK has surged at its fastest rate since the 1990s, thanks to streaming services as well as the continuing vinyl resurgence.

:: Cassette tapes make a comeback - test your knowledge in our quiz

Drake
Image: Drake was one of just two other artists to make the UK chart

A total of 135.1 million albums were either streamed, purchased or downloaded in 2017, an increase of 9.5% from 2016.

Sheeran also had four of the 10 top-selling singles of the year, with Shape Of You, Castle On The Hill, Galway Girl and Perfect.

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Digital streaming now officially counts for more than half of all music consumption in the UK, thanks to services such as Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer.

:: Vinyl sales at 25-year high

On the other side of the spectrum, CD sales were down 12% from last year and digital downloads also took a hit.

LP sales continued to rise, up 26.8% in 2017 - again, the highest since the 1990s - and the ancient cassette registering a comeback with a 43% rise in sales.

Altogether, music consumption in the UK last year contributed £1.2bn to the economy.

"Demand for music in the UK is growing fast, driven by brilliant British artists such as Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Rag'n'Bone Man, Little Mix, Stormzy and Dua Lipa and the innovative music industry that supports them," said BPI chief executive Geoff Taylor.

Taylor Swift - $44 million
Image: Taylor Swift had the 15th best-selling album in the UK last year

However, he said the industry still had "a long way to go".

He said "structural problems" needed to be overcome in order for the British industry to continue to flourish - including moves to and to ensure musicians are "able to tour freely" after Brexit.

"If we do this, the future for British music, which is already one of our leading exports, will be very bright," he said.