Olympic soundtrack is music to HMV’s ears

Boosting national pride and music sales, in the wake of the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony on Friday night, HMV has reported an equally Olympian boost in CD sales and downloads of the artists featured in the show.

Showcasing Britain’s world famous and iconic musical heritage, the ceremony made strong use of artists old and new; from David Bowie, to Queen, the Sex Pistols and Dizzee Rascal, all of whom are now seeing a boost in sales.

Sprung from the mind of director Danny Boyle, whose use of music from his film Trainspotting during a section celebrating the NHS has caused sales of ‘The Best of Underworld’ to increase 500%, the ceremony also included live performances, notably from Mike Oldfield. Surging dramatically, HMV reported that sales of his 1973 debut album ‘Tubular Bells’ increased by 757% overnight. Equally, sales of The Beatles ‘1’ album rose 268% as a result of Paul McCartney’s involvement.

Other increases for more modern live performers we also reported by the retailer, as Frank Turner’s ‘England Keep My Bones’ experienced a 371% increase. Though such acts’ notoriety may not be as impressive as some of the more historically ‘staple’ artists, as the UK’s past comes under global review, such a boost in HMV sales is not surprising, a fact recognised by a company spokesperson stating; “With British music featuring so strongly in such a spectacular opening ceremony watched by tens of millions in the UK and vast numbers world-wide, it was always likely we would see a huge surge in demand for many of the featured artists’ albums - the big question, I guess, was who that was going to be, and now we know.”

So now with musical sales and the games themselves well underway, the questions remain – what music will the closing ceremony contain, and whose sales are set to skyrocket next?