Here's the data from the USA from Billboard editor in chief

 

Bill Werde ‏@bwerde 4m

digital tracks down 1.5% year to date. digital albums up 10.1%. vinyl albums up 34% but still <2% total albums. #Billboard

 

Bill Werde ‏@bwerde 3m

unless market dynamics change, i think digital track sales will soon start to drop faster amidst transition to subscriptions and streaming.

 

 

 

RIAA 2012 #:

 

Streaming: $1,032.8 million USD (up 59%)

Singles Download: $1,623.6 million USD (up 6.7%)

Album Download: $1,204.8 million USD (up 12.5%)

Physical CD Album: $2,532 million USD (down 18.3%)

Here's the data from the USA from Billboard editor in chief

 

Bill Werde ‏@bwerde 4m

digital tracks down 1.5% year to date. digital albums up 10.1%. vinyl albums up 34% but still <2% total albums. #Billboard

 

Bill Werde ‏@bwerde 3m

unless market dynamics change, i think digital track sales will soon start to drop faster amidst transition to subscriptions and streaming.

RIAA 2012 #:

 

Streaming: $1,032.8 million USD (up 59%)

Singles Download: $1,623.6 million USD (up 6.7%)

Album Download: $1,204.8 million USD (up 12.5%)

Physical CD Album: $2,532 million USD (down 18.3%)

 

IRO UK sales, singles are 3.5% up on 2012, and albums 1.3% down.

Dust2 is this a question about the US or the UK market. The figures are only about the US market, if so, the thread shouldn't be in the UK chart chat forum, we have an International charts forum too.

Dust2 is this a question about the US or the UK market. The figures are only about the US market, if so, the thread shouldn't be in the UK chart chat forum, we have an International charts forum too.

 

 

it's about the UK market.

 

I'm using the USA data because I don't have the UK data. But since the USA and UK markets are very similar, I posted that info.

Once 4G and even faster methods of streaming become commonplace there won't really be any need to save copies of songs - unless you're really looking for ultra-high quality playback (and you never ever seem to get that from iTunes anyway, it's always poor bit-rate when I buy something). So, yeah, I think 'owning' an album will start to become a thing of the past.

it's about the UK market.

 

I'm using the USA data because I don't have the UK data. But since the USA and UK markets are very similar, I posted that info.

That's fair enough.

Once 4G and even faster methods of streaming become commonplace there won't really be any need to save copies of songs - unless you're really looking for ultra-high quality playback (and you never ever seem to get that from iTunes anyway, it's always poor bit-rate when I buy something).

 

What do you consider a 'poor bit rate' then?

 

It's almost invariably 320 when I download, and I cut that down to 128 when loading to iPod.

 

Haven't bought something for a while, but I always noticed a considerable drop in quality between the ones I bought from iTunes and those I ripped at 320 from CD. Maybe it's improved, I seem to remember 128 was almost a standard at one point.

What do you consider a 'poor bit rate' then?

 

It's almost invariably 320 when I download, and I cut that down to 128 when loading to iPod.

It's not 320, but 256 which isn't that bad but a bit poorer than a CD rip.

It's not 320, but 256 which isn't that bad but a bit poorer than a CD rip.

 

73% of my downloaded MP3's are at 320mbps

73% of my downloaded MP3's are at 320mbps

Believe me, it's definitely 256 kbps.

 

Here's the proof: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1711

Single sales in the Top 10 seem to have been quite low recently and a couple of weeks ago, I checked the YTD from this time last year and compared with this year - singles this year were lower than last. With streaming appearing to be on the rise, it wouldn't surprise me if the digital singles has peaked.

 

Album downloads, however, are definitely on the up.

Yes, they couldn't keep climbing forever all the time there is a convenient alternative in streaming. For casual music fans, at some point streaming will make more sense than buying. It'll just be people like us that stick with buying to keep.

I do think that downloading has reached its peak, but I don't think it will drop significantly for a long time. Streaming's obviously on the rise but I can't see it completely taking over downloads in the same way CD singles died out. It's not really so much of an alternative as an additional method of buying music in my opinion; I could see sales being evenly split between the two for some time.

RIAA 2012 #:

 

Streaming: $1,032.8 million USD (up 59%)

Singles Download: $1,623.6 million USD (up 6.7%)

 

 

at this rate of growth, streaming will surpass singles download in about 9-10 months (sometimes in February of 2014). Though realistically, it will take longer than that because I don't think streaming will grow at 59% in 2013.

 

But with Google, Amazon and Apple poised to launch their version of streaming (Pandora or Spotify), it might speed up this process

 

 

Single sales in the Top 10 seem to have been quite low recently and a couple of weeks ago, I checked the YTD from this time last year and compared with this year - singles this year were lower than last. With streaming appearing to be on the rise, it wouldn't surprise me if the digital singles has peaked.

 

Album downloads, however, are definitely on the up.

 

Yeah i think they are still steady overall for the year though only a 1-3% rise so far compared to the 12% last year. This is just a quiet period because of the holding back of most releases record labels think have a good chance of topping the chart. OA/OS will be more common for all eventually - most indie songs i am into are released straight away now anyway whether it be along with the pre order of the album or as a single download - after Zane Lowe airs them

 

I think sales lower down the chart make sure the % stays high!

 

In the future music fanatics will probabaly buy more high quality products like vinyl which continues to increase. I for one am saving for a new record player so iu can start doing this. The download single track songs myself.

Edited April 13, 201312 yr by steve201

In some of the OCC's articles recently they've been saying sales are down on the equivalent week from 2012. Which is rare, nearly all the time in the past few years it was an increase, so I think we might be approaching a peak. The peak year for digital sales will probably be 2012 or 2013 I think.

yes, it looks like so, it the US they already peaked last year, and usually the UK is 2 years behind in term of consumer habits so i'd have to say that 2014 will be the UK peak for digital sales... then it will be a shift to streaming...

I think there will be a very steady increase over the next two years and singles will either flatten out or gradually decrease.

It partially depends on price. If prices rise, sales will decrease, if prices fall, sales should increase (see the effects most times Itunes reduces the cost of a track from 99p to 59p)