While its French parent company still struggles to overcome its financial meltdown of two years ago, there was good news for the Universal Music Group in the end-of-year sales figures for the US music market. Even if you combine the sales of the recently merged Sony and BMG record companies, Universal was still the biggest record label in 2004.
Universal recorded a 29.59% market share in 2004 according to stats body
Neilsen-SoundScan. That is some way ahead of the next biggest selling record company, BMG, which had a 15.20% share of the market last year. Of course, the large difference between the biggest and second biggest record company in the world was one of the key justifications Sony and BMG used to merge. If you combine their sales for last year (they only officially merged half way through) they do come much closer to Universal, though they still fall slightly behind at 28.46%.
Behind the two big players come other major record companies Warner
(with a 14.68% share) and EMI (with a 9.91% share). The combined
US independent sector scored a 17.36% share.
Also good news for Universal is that their success does not depend on back catalogue. If you take just sales of new music they actually edge even further ahead of SonyBMG - scoring
32.17% over their rival's 29.80%.