David Bowie, U2, Oasis and Fleetwood Mac complete the Top 5, as new PPL data reveals the nation’s enduring love of rock – to celebrate National Album Day                    

8 October 2025 - Queen have been named the UK’s most played rock act of the 21st century, topping a new PPL chart to celebrate National Album Day. Queen have amassed over 400 million seconds of radio and TV airplay, the equivalent of 12.5 years of continuous play this century, with their most played track being ‘A Kind Of Magic’. 

PPL, which licenses recorded music for use on UK radio and television, and in public spaces such as bars, restaurants and gyms, compiled the chart using extensive airplay reporting data from radio and TV broadcasters across the country.  

The findings were released to mark National Album Day on 18 October, an annual event now in its eighth year, organised by the BPI and ERA in partnership with BBC Radio 2. This year, rock is taking centre stage for National Album Day, and record labels are releasing 60 limited edition albums for music fans and collectors.

The UK’s Top 10 most played rock acts of the 21st century

Queen
David Bowie
U2
Oasis
Fleetwood Mac
Stereophonics
The Rolling Stones
The Police
The Killers
Kings of Leon
 
Legendary Queen guitarist Brian May said: “Astounding news! Bearing in mind that most of Queen's major works were done in the 20th century, it's amazing to top a 21st century list. Big thanks to all our fans.”

Queen reign supreme

Queen continues to resonate with audiences of all ages, helped by a catalogue that spans rock anthems, ballads and genre-bending masterpieces, and a landmark album that changed rock forever, ‘A Night at the Opera’ (1975). The band’s fourth studio album became their first UK number one and, at the time, was reportedly the most expensive album ever recorded, reflecting its ambition and studio innovation. 

The album’s centrepiece, ’Bohemian Rhapsody’, spent nine consecutive weeks at the top of the UK singles chart on its original release and returned to the top for five weeks across 1991 and 1992, making it the first single to top the UK chart on two separate occasions. Its longevity and cultural impact continue to fuel heavy broadcast rotation half a century on. To mark this enduring legacy, Queen are releasing 50th anniversary vinyl reissues of ‘A Night at the Opera’ on National Album Day and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ on 31 October.

Queen’s Top 5 most played recordings on UK radio and TV of the 21st century

1.     A Kind Of Magic
2.     I Want To Break Free
3.     Don't Stop Me Now
4.     Radio Ga Ga
5.     Somebody To Love
 
Peter Leathem OBE, Chief Executive Officer, PPL, said: “This chart underlines how rock music across the decades continues to thrive on UK airwaves. Congratulations to Queen on this great accolade in such a significant anniversary year for their first number one album. It’s a testament to their expansive and much-loved music catalogue that they continue to mean so much to UK audiences to this very day.”