“A testament to their expansive and much-loved music catalogue that they continue to mean so much to UK audiences to this very day”: Which 20th-century band are the top ‘rock’ act in 21st-century Britain?

So who do you think is the most played rock act of the 21^st century in the UK? Oasis? The Killers? AC/DC?

No, wrong wrong wrong. The answer is Queen, a band who have essentially been defunct for over 30 years.

That’s according to PPL, who know about such things – they license recorded music for use on TV and radio as well as public spaces such as bars and shopping centres. According to their data, over the last 25 years Queen have amassed over 400 million seconds of radio and TV airplay – that’s the equivalent of 12 and a half years of continuous music.

It might also surprise you to hear that the most popular Queen song in all that time isn’t Bohemian Rhapsody or even Don’t Stop Me Now, but A Kind Of Magic, a mid-paced song that doesn’t even have a chorus.

Brian May, as you might expect, seemed delighted by this. In a statement, the guitarist 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 - A Kind of Magic (Official Video Remastered) - YouTube

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The rest of the PPL Top Ten of most-played rock acts is interesting. Coming in behind Queen is David Bowie at Two and U2 at Three. The rest of the Top Ten is: Oasis, Fleetwood Mac, Stereophonics, The Rolling Stones, The Police, The Killers and Kings Of Leon.

The presence of most of those isn't unexpected – Fleetwood Mac are arguably more popular now in the UK than they were during their supposed ‘classic’ period. Mr Brightside by The Killers (477 weeks on the UK charts and counting) is the 21^st-century song that refuses to die and The Stones, Oasis and The Police have never lost popularity even though their respective heydays are long behind them.

More curious is the presence of the Stereophonics, but then their 2001 hit Have A Nice Day has soundtracked countless adverts, films and travel documentaries during its quarter-century lifetime.

What PPL haven't revealed is how they have defined ‘rock’? Though Bowie’s glam era output fell within the broad rock genre, the same couldn’t really be said of the jazz-influenced material from his final album Blackstar. And what of the band who are conspicuous by their absence from the list: The Beatles. Are they rock? Well… sometimes, but more often not.

Anyway, the PPL chart is being released to coincide with National Album Day which takes place on Saturday 18 October. The theme to this year’s event is, well, rock. Hence the chart.

Peter Leathem, PPL’s Chief Executive said in a statement: “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.”