Queen: they are the most listened to band in Great Britain in the 21st century

After a quarter of a century we can begin to do the first calculations. This is how the PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited) to celebrate the National Album Day 2025 has drawn up a special ranking that crowns the Queen as the most listened to rock band in Britain in the twenty-first century.

The band that was Freddie Mercury has accumulated over 400 million seconds of radio and television airplay, the equivalent of twelve and a half years of continuous listening this century. Curiosity within curiosity: their most listened to song is “A Kind Of Magic”.

The guitarist of
Queen Brian May
commented on the news: “Incredible news! Considering that most of Queen’s major works were made in the 20th century, it’s incredible to be at the top of a 21st century list. A big thank you to all our fans.”

The CEO of
PPL Peter Leathem
noted: “This chart highlights how rock music continues to thrive over the decades on UK airwaves. Congratulations to Queen on this great recognition in the year of a truly significant anniversary for their first number one album (
“A Night At The Opera”
(
read the review here
)). This is testament to their vast and much-loved catalog of music which continues to mean so much to UK audiences today.”

Below is the Top Ten of the most listened to rock artists of the twenty-first century in Great Britain:

1.Queen

2. David Bowie

3. U2

4. Oasis

5. Fleetwood Mac

6. Stereophonics

7. Rolling Stones

8. Police

9. Killers

10. Kings Of Leon