Downloads boost UK albums market

Posted on 7 Jan 2009 at 10:34

The UK music industry is celebrating an unexpected set of end-of-year results, on the back of 65% increase in digital album sales.

Over 10 million album downloads were sold in 2008, comprising an unprecedented 7.7% of the UK album market. That helped to offset the ongoing decline in CD sales to such an extent that the total number of UK album sales shrank by just 3.2%, when, as UK trade body the BPI notes, many analysts were predicting double digit decline.

The BPI says that one reason why that did not happen was a strong final quarter release schedule. New records from the The Killers, Pink, Girls Aloud, Oasis, Snow Patrol and Take That (whose The Circus was the third fastest selling album in history) helped the albums market perform 0.9% better than in the same period in 2007.

The UK single tracks market, which has been revived by downloads, grew by 33%. With over 115 million single tracks sold across all formats, 2008 was the biggest sales year on record in unit terms.

“A strong release schedule and a digital retail market that continues to diversify and grow helped the business confront the challenges of unlawful p2p and disruption to retail supply to deliver what are, in context, encouraging sales figures in 2008,” said BPI chief executive Geoff Taylor.

Author: Simon Aughton

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