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New acts are selling more albums, more quickly, than ever before, according to the UK music industry body. It attributes the success to a rise in the quality in new acts and the 'creative impetus of digital media', with record companies taking advantage of digital distribution in order to promote new talent.

'Creatively British music is on a high, and music fans have responded to the industry's continued investment in new acts by buying a record number of debut albums,' said BPI chairman Peter Jamieson. 'The arrival of legal digital music retailers, the increasing use of viral online promotion and the emergence of social networking sites such as MySpace, Bebo and Faceparty means that record companies can be highly innovative in promoting this new talent.'

Debut albums have comprised for 17.2 per cent of the combined sales of the top 100 albums so far this year. In 1996 the figure was just 2.3 per cent, rising to 5.2 per cent five years ago.