The Official Charts Company (OCC) has announced it will launch its first Official Folk Albums Chart.

In partnership with English Folk Expo’s Manchester Folk Festival, and with support from Showcase Scotland Expo, the chart will premiere on October 17, 2020. The chart will be compiled on a monthly basis using physical and digital album sales, downloads, and streams compiled from the UK and Irish musicians who have been releasing folk albums over the past 18 months.

OCC reports that over 90% of the best-selling new folk albums of 2020 are independent releases, and it is hoped that the chart will become an outlet for discovering new folk artists.

Chief executive of the OCC, Martin Talbot, said: “We are delighted to be supporting this fantastic new chart, celebrating all that is great about British and Irish folk music. The emergence of artists such as Laura Marling, Frank Turner and Kate Rusby as stars of the folk scene while also taking their place in the mainstream charts and award categories, illustrates how much love there is for this genre which is simultaneously one of the most ancient and contemporary genres in music.”

Musician, Kate Rusby added: “It's fantastic news that folk music will now have its own officially recognised chart.  This will give hundreds of incredible musicians across the UK and Ireland the recognition they deserve.”

To celebrate the launch of the first chart, an exclusive livestream event will take place in Manchester on October 17 – the weekend, which would have been the fourth edition of the annual Manchester Folk Festival.

Viewers can expect to see performances from UK and Irish folk artists during the stream, which will be hosted by BBC Radio 2’s Folk Show presenter, Mark Radcliffe.

OCC has also revealed the Top 10 biggest folk albums of 2020 so far, with Laura Marling’s Song For Our Daughter (via Chrysalis/Partisan) holding the top spot, followed by Jamie Webster’s We Get By (Modern Sky), Levellers’ Peace (On The Fiddle) and Kate Rusby’s Hand Me Down (Pure). View the full list below.

The launch arrives following the premiere of the Official UK Afrobeats Chart in July, combining Americana, Jazz & Blues and Progressive into one chart.

To access the chart, you can head to OfficialCharts.com, englishfolkexpo.com on the first Monday of each month. It will also be released to subscriber mailing lists.

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