According to figures from the Official UK Charts Company, UK album sales fell by 6% in the first quarter of 2007, compared to Q1 of 2006. Compilation albums achieved a 10.1% increase for the period, year on year, but artist album sales fell by 9%, meaning that overall, LP sales were down to their lowest first quarter result since 2002.
The BPI have responded to the news by pointing out that Q1 of 2006 received a sizable boost because of the release of Arctic Monkeys' record breaking debut 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not'. A BPI spokesman also noted: "Though trading conditions are tough, the U.K. market has not experienced the declines seen globally."
The biggest selling artist album of the first quarter of 2007 was Amy Winehouse's 'Back To Black', selling 467,820 copies in thirteen weeks but it's the lowest performing Q1 top seller since Stereophonics' 'Just Enough Education To Perform' in 2002.
Sales of digital formats continued to rise, however, as you might expect, with 982,713 download albums sold in the first quarter compared to 609,925 in Q2 of 2006, the quarter in which download album sales were first incorporated into the UK charts. Digital single sales also rose, reaching 9,962,826, compared to 5,171,151 in the first quarter of 2006.
On those matters, the BPI man says this: "Of course it's encouraging that digital continues to grow. But we must remember that this is still a market in its infancy and shouldn't expect it to solve the difficulties faced by in the physical business overnight."