Introducing our National Album Day 2022 Ambassadors!@SamRyderMusic @KSI @thestaves @Franz_Ferdinand @TheMysterines

Discover more about this year’s #NationalAlbumDay on our site: https://t.co/1lcrg78uvU pic.twitter.com/MZ6vG4T9Yj

— National Album Day (@AlbumDayUK) August 16, 2022

The annual event is held in celebration of the album format and the configuration’s over  70 years of history and critical influence across the music industry. This year the event will mark National Album Day’s fifth year and will be held on 15th October 2022, each year is allocated a theme. In previous years National Album Day has taken on the theme of Women in Music and the 80s, this year the annual celebration will hold the theme of Debuts. By adopting this theme, the event aims to honour a wide range of initial album releases from many variants of genres and eras.

This year im going to be an @AlbumDayUK ambassador, which means i’ll be looking at and discussing one of my favourite debut albums from an artist I love. What’s your favourite debut album? https://t.co/DHkP7Jd6VD — ksi (@KSI) August 16, 2022

Speaking on the event, Chief Executive BPI Geoff Taylor and Chief Executive ER Kim Bayley have issued a joint statement, “Artists love telling their stories through the artform of the album and fans love to listen, but in a world where there is more streaming of individual songs, we take the appeal of the album format for granted. National Album Day is about celebrating the continuing vitality and cultural relevance of the long player, in particular with the next generation of fans, and we invite everyone who loves the format to join in and enjoy this year’s National Album Day.“

Since its inception in 2018, National Album Day has put on and participated in a wide range of events. The long list of activities include The Record Club, Tim’s Twitter Listening Party, two exhibitions held with Network Rail and Classic Album Sundays. The annually held celebration of the beloved format is co-arranged with BPI, otherwise known as British Phonographic Industry, BPI is the trade association for British recorded music and is known for putting on the BRIT awards. National Album Day is also organised by ERA, The Digital Entertainment and Retail Association, ERA is a UK trade organisation known for its involvement in record store day.

Alex Kapranos, Franz Ferdinand frontman has also given a statement concerning the band’s ambassador status, “What a glorious medium the album is, On the most basic level it’s a bunch of songs that sound good together, but what I love is that it is a moment in time for the artist and the listener, a way to define a period of a lifetime. It’s the long form: a novel rather than a short story, a film rather than a trailer. Sure, you can get a panel of writers to construct a song to meet the criteria of the algorithm, and that’s a distinct skill, but it will never have the complexity or richness and deep reward of a good album.”

This year’s National Album Day will be conducted in association with Bowers and Wilkins, the event’s official audio partner. National Album Day is also presented alongside its official broadcast partner BBC Sounds. This year’s celebration will also include special broadcasts and exclusive releases, further details concerning these forthcoming events will be confirmed in due course.

The British Music Embassy typically takes over a venue every year at SXSW in Austin, Texas, putting a spotlight on the best new music from around the UK. As the festival is virtual this year due to the ongoing global health crisis, the British Music Embassy has recorded live performances which can be watched on the SXSW portal. A selection of performances will also be made available after Easter for all to view on SXSW’s YouTube channel.

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The full British Music Embassy line-up for SXSW Online 2021 includes 404 Guild, Afronaut Zu,  Anna B Savage, Baby Queen, Beauty Sleep, Black Country, New Road, Chubby and The Gang, Connie Constance, Do Nothing, Drug Store Romeos, Ego Ella May, Enola Gay, Finn Askew, The Goa Express, IDER, Katy J Pearson, Lau.ra, Lilla Vargen, Matilda Mann, The Mysterines, Nayana IZ, Olivia Dean, Onipa, Penelope Isles, Phoebe Green, Porij, PVA, Ryan McMullan, Sinead O’Brien, Squid, Tayo Sound, TV Priest, Virginia Wing, Walt Disco and Yard Act.

Speaking about the event in a press release, Paul Pacifico, Chief Executive Officer at AIM said; “We’re delighted to be returning as a British Music Embassy partner for SXSW 2021. It has always been a key stepping stone for the careers of independent artists, and a valuable way to accelerate their journeys on the international stage. Although we can’t attend in person this year, the positioning of British Music within the virtual showcase platform is the next best thing and a crucial moment to showcase exciting British talent to the world.”

Northern Irish singer-songwriter Lilla Vargen shared her excitement about being on the virtual line-up saying; “The past year has been devastating for live music, and SXSW being able to go ahead in some form is a light at the end of the tunnel, and hopefully can signal the return of more opportunities like this. I can’t wait to head to Austin when it is safe to do so.”

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The British Music Embassy is brought to you this year by AIM, BBC, BPI, the Department for International Trade, PPL, PRS for Music, and PRS Foundation, with further support from ATC, media partner DIY Magazine and Belfast City Council. Since 2008 it has hosted over 450 UK artists, positioning them in front of a global audience in order to help them to break into new markets and advance their careers. The British Music Embassy also uses UK-only production and equipment, giving artists from the UK an unparalleled platform on the world music stage.

Check out the SXSW showcase at The British Music Embassy through the SXSW portal or on SXSW’s YouTube channel.