Ed Sheeran tops Christmas lists for album requests

Sheeran was also revealed as the act music fans would most like to see perform at this year’s BRIT Awards

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Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran triumphed last night at the BBC Music Awards, and now it seems that he is also at the top of everyone’s musical Christmas list.

In three separate surveys, Sheeran came first and second respectively in research by Amazon, MasterCard and Spotify that suggested his latest album X is the one people would most like to see performed live, as well as the one they want to find under the Christmas tree.

British acts dominated the top 10 albums people would most like to receive for Christmas. Pink Floyd’s The Endless River was number one, despite receiving mixed reviews from critics. Grammy competitors Sheeran and Sam Smith followed at second and third place - Smith with his debut album In The Lonely Hour – while One Direction’s Four and George Ezra’s Wanted On Voyage rounded off the top five.

Foo Fighter’s Sonic Highways is one of just two US acts on the list, with Taylor Swift’s 1989 claiming the eighth spot. The only other non-British act is Australian band AC/DC and their album Rock Or Bust.

Steve Bernstein, director of Amazon EU Digital Music, said: "British music is currently undergoing a tremendous popularity boom, both in the UK and worldwide. It’s really exciting to see the widespread appeal of younger artists such as Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, and One Direction, as well as the likes of legendary acts such as Pink Floyd and Take That."

Research conducted by BRITs sponsor MasterCard showed that the album people most wish they could experience live is Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Over a quarter of respondents (26 per cent) wished they could have experienced tracks like 'Beat It', 'Billie Jean' and 'Smooth Criminal' live. Fleetwood Mac's Rumours followed closely behind at 23 per cent, while The Beatle’s Revolver arrived in fifth place, with 16 per cent.

Sheeran was also revealed as the act music fans would most like to see perform at this year's BRIT Awards, beating David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Rihanna, and Kanye West. He was crowned British Artist of the Year at the first ever BBC Music Awards in London last night.

In yet another victory, Spotify announced on Wednesday that Ed Sheeran is officially the world’s most streamed artist of 2014, followed by Eminem and Coldplay.

Sheeran came out in support of Spotify following Taylor Swift's choice to remove all of her music from the music streaming service.

"My music has been streamed 860 million times, which means that it's getting out to people," he said backstage at the BBC Music Awards.

"I'm playing sold-out gigs in South America, I've sold out arenas in Korea and south-east Asia. I don't think I'd be able to do that without Spotify."