Albums boosted by download sales

Source: MW

15:45 | Monday February 25, 2008

 

By Paul Williams

 

Digital’s impressive year-on-year sales increases have been an established fixture of the singles market for several years, but that trend is now starting to be felt within the albums business as well.

 

At a time when the UK’s overall albums market is in sharp decline – it is currently down 11.8% on the year up to last week – the digital albums business is bringing some much-needed positive news to the sector, with sales in January increasing in unit terms by 76.4% year-on-year to 716,921 units.

 

This represents more than 300,000 additional digital albums sold compared to the same month in 2007 and a threefold increase since April 2006 when 236,684 such albums were sold.

 

The huge sales increases are accompanied by digital bundles doubling their share of the overall albums market over the past year.

 

While this time last year digital albums typically accounted for around 3% of the total sold each week, in the past four weeks they have respectively claimed 6.5%, 6.4%, 6.3% and 5.2% of the market.

 

The strong January sales leap follows unit sales rising on the year in December by around 63%, prompting the Official Charts Company managing director Martin Talbot to suggest there are very positive signs the digital albums market is really starting to take off.

 

“There’s been a lot of concern over whether digital sales can or will replace declining physical sales, but it is very promising that in the past couple of months we’ve seen sales of digital albums take a considerable upturn. Rising 76% year-on-year from January to January is quite impressive,” he says.

Thanks mart!n it's great to see sales increasing. i never buy physical singles now, but even before downloads became popular i barely bought any[ buy lots of downloads now] but i could never imagine downloading an album instead of buying it physically ...i love having the album in my hands :D

Edited February 26, 200817 yr by BanYellowm+m's

I can't imagine physical CD store disappearing, that just means to tell me not to go to street again!

I dont see the point in buying a digital album. CD albums can be bought so cheapily on the internet, they are often far cheaper than their digital comparison and you have the booklet and case too. I like having the proper CD.

So do i, i don't like a digital album. I don't really like downloads - i would much prefer to buy a physical single, but my local HMV has stopped selling cd singles - i would have to pay £5 on a train to go to my next nearest HMV.

 

Although i've started ordering the cd singles online from HMV - they take forever though.

 

But i hope the physical album will have some kind of boost