Queen named UK’s most played rock act of 21st century with Oasis, The Rolling Stones & Bowie among the Top 10

8 October 2025, 17:15

The Bohemian Rhapsody legends have topped a list of the rock acts to receive the most radio and TV airplay.

Queen have been named the UK’s most played rock act of the the 21st century.

According to a new PPL chart, the legendary band have amassed over 400 million seconds of radio and TV airplay, the equivalent of 12.5 years of continuous play this century.

Despite Bohemian Rhapsody being one of their most recognised and iconic songs, the band's most-played track is actually their 1986 hit A Kind Of Magic, which is taken from the album of the same name.

In fact, Bo Rhap doesn't even make it into the Top 5 most-played Queen songs, with I Want To Break Free, Don’t Stop Me Now, Radio Ga Ga, Somebody To Love coming in at second, third, fourth and fifth place respectfully.

Queen - A Kind of Magic (Official Video Remastered)

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Guitarist Brian May reacted to the feat, saying: "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."

Peter Leathem OBE, PPL Chief Executive Officer, PPL added: “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 [A Night At The Opera’."

He added: 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.”

Elsewhere on the list are appearances from David Bowie, who is the second most played rock artist, U2, who come in at third and Oasis, who ranked as the fourth most-played rock act of the 21st Century.

Other notable mentions in the Top 10 come from Fleetwood Mac, Stereophonics, The Rolling Stones, The Killers and Kings of Leon.

See the full Top 10 below:

See the Top 10 most played rock acts of the 21st century:

1. Queen
2. David Bowie
3. U2
4. Oasis
5. Fleetwood Mac
6. Stereophonics
7. The Rolling Stones
8. The Police
9. The Killers
10. Kings Of Leon

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