A new report from BPI, a group representing the British Recorded Music Industry, shows that U.K. artists’ share of U.S. and Canadian music markets has risen for the fourth year in a row. More than one in 10 albums sold in North America are now by British acts, with their market share rising to 10 percent in 2008, up from 8.5 percent in 2007. The U.K.’s success in the U.S. market lately comes thanks to a mixture of established acts as well as new talent. Big British sellers in 2008 included Coldplay's Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends and Radiohead's In Rainbows, along with younger acts breaking into the market for the first time, such as Duffy, Leona Lewis, Estelle and The Ting Tings.

According to the BPI, Coldplay's Viva La Vida was the top-selling British album in the United States last year and the second biggest seller of the year overall. Lewis's single, "Bleeding Love," was the most downloaded single in the U.S. in 2008.

BPI Chairman Tony Wadsworth stated, "Britain’s creative industries consistently excel on the world stage – with British music chief amongst them. After the U.S., we are the biggest exporter of repertoire, and in the U.S. itself the U.K. is the second largest source of repertoire after U.S. home grown artists. The increase in our North American market share reflects the U.K.’s enduring ability to create world-class artists. One of the great things about the music business is that the success of these artists will help other new acts break through. Revenues generated from sales abroad are crucially important for new acts, with U.K. labels reinvesting an estimated 20 percent of their revenues back into A&R."