Album sales in the UK fell by 10.8% last year when compared to 2006, though with 138.1 million units shifted in the last twelve months, the album market was still up 26% on ten years ago, so not all doom and gloom. Needless to say, the continuing download boom helped single sales go up, up, up, by 29.3%.
Which is all well and good, but what does BPI chief Geoff Taylor think about it all, that's what I want to know. Oh look, here he is now: "The UK market has shown considerable resilience in recent years while global recorded music markets have declined. Home grown talent continues to shine with strong new releases from Leona Lewis, Newton Faulkner and Arctic Monkeys joining Amy Winehouse and Mika in the year's best-sellers list".
"The industry continues to innovate in developing new online and mobile business models. Nonetheless, this remains a period of transition, and the industry's move to tap into a wider pool of revenue streams, particularly in digital, will take time to offset the combined impact of digital piracy, album unbundling and difficult retail trading conditions. The UK market remains a strong performer internationally and the pace of growth in digital sales is particularly encouraging".
He concluded: "Music in all its forms is more popular than ever and the recorded music sector will reap the benefits as the online market matures". Brilliant.