Mercury boosts sales

Picking up the Nationwide Mercury prize, Elbow's lead singer declared it was "the best thing that's ever happened to us". Guy Garvey will be even more convinced after new data revealed the Bury band had boosted sales of their album sevenfold.

The album, The Seldom Seen Kid, generated the biggest increase in unit sales as a result of winning the award, surging from number 61 to seven in the charts. HMV reported it had a 688% increase in sales through its shops and website. The awards were shown on the BBC and featured in newspapers and on the news the next day, backed by a swiftly booked tactical advertising campaign from Elbow's record label.

In many ways, the group were ideally placed to reap the rewards, having won positive reviews for the album and mainstream exposure for songs like One Day Like This on TV shows including the BBC's Olympics coverage.

Garvey dedicated the group's win to the "seldom seen kid" of the album's title, their close friend and Manchester music industry figure Bryan Glancy, who died two years ago aged 39.

The biggest percentage increase in sales since last Tuesday's event was recorded by reclusive dubstep artist Burial, for Untrue. Burial, who was the bookmakers' favourite to win after a series of large wagers, boosted sales more than tenfold, according to HMV. Modern jazz group Portico Quartet (754%), The Last Shadow Puppets (626%) and Neon Neon (435%) also benefited.

Even the most modest beneficiary, Estelle's Shine, more than doubled its sales. Collectively, the 12 artists recorded the biggest post-award sales boost in its 17-year history.

"If the main purpose of the Nationwide Mercury prize is to shine a light on music that deserves to be listened to by a wider audience, then Elbow are certainly making a lot of new fans right now, while our sales suggest that many of the other shortlisted artists are also connecting with the mainstream," said HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo.