Scissor Sisters and Snow Patrol among UK’s most played artists

A Bad Day for UK radio?
A Bad Day for UK radio?

Bad Day, by Canadian optimist Daniel Powter, is the most played song in the UK over the last five years, according to the Performing Rights Society (PRS). Plays on radio, TV, websites and in live music venues put five British artists in the top ten.

It's no surprise to see James Blunt's You're Beautiful at number three, MTV and radio plays in its first week of release alone must have been enough to secure a place. And Snow Patrol's Chasing Cars at number five proves that including at least one radio-friendly, epic ballad per album, is the way forward for arena-filling indie bands.

The top 10

1. Bad Day - Daniel Powter
2. Because Of You - Kelly Clarkson
3. You're Beautiful - James Blunt
4. I Don't Feel Like Dancin' - Scissor Sisters
5. Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
6. This Love - Maroon 5
7. Shine - Take That
8. Put Your Records On - Corinne Bailey Rae
9. Leave Right Now - Will Young
10. The Sweet Escape - Gwen Stefani

Some impressionable journalists believe this list represents the UK's favourite songs. It doesn't. After Bad Day's radio overkill, surely only Daniel Powter can claim it to be his favourite? And maybe the PRS, which will happily take its 10% of anything.

Tom Porter worked on MusicRadar from its mid-2007 launch date to 2011, covering a range of music and music making topics, across features, gear news, reviews, interviews and more. A regular NAMM-goer back in the day, Tom now resides permanently in Los Angeles, where he's doing rather well at the Internet Movie Database (IMDB).