Indies Lead Sales Again with 34% of Market Share

Once again, Independent labels stake claim to more sales than any of the majors. According to Billboard's mid-year SoundScan report, Indie sales have set a record high with 34.5 percent of the overall market share based on master ownership (not distribution) and are up from last year's mid-year mark, which was 32.9 percent.

The growing share is a sure sign that the diversity, creativity and resilience of Independent Labels are leading to significant sales. Some of the top selling Independent Label artists so far this year include (noted in album/TEA sales):

-- Mumford & Sons - 1.1M albums (Glassnote Records, combined album totals for all their releases)
-- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - 670K albums (Macklemore, LLC)
-- The Lumineers - 660K albums (Dualtone Music Group)
-- Taylor Swift - 635K albums (Big Machine) 
-- Jason Aldean - 310K albums (Broken Bow) 
-- Vampire Weekend - 275K albums (The Beggars Group)
-- Alabama Shakes - 250K albums (ATO Records)
-- Queens of the Stone Age - 150K albums (Matador Records)