Sales figures hide albums fall

08:18 | Thursday January 7, 2010

The organisation reports that combined album sales were down 3.5% (including “unmatched” digital sales, in accordance with BPI rules) overall in 2009 to 128.9m. The small decrease was largely thanks to a “healthy stream of key releases” including albums from Susan Boyle, Lady Gaga, Michael Buble, Kings of Leon, Black Eyed Peas, JLS, Robbie Williams and Paolo Nutini.

Singles sales increased by 32.7%, with more than 152m singles sold, beating the 2008 record of 115.1m.

However, the BPI figures do not exactly match like with like: the vagaries of the calendar meant that 2009 had 53 chart weeks, kicking off on Sunday December 28, while 2008 had the regulation 52.

Strip out this extra week, compare 2008 with the first 52 chart weeks of 2009, and the results are less encouraging: in this case single sales were up 28.5% year-on-year, artist album sales were down 3.3%, compilations were down 18.4% and overall albums down 6.8% (in this case not including “unmatched” digital data).

As ever, digital proved a highlight: 16.1m digital albums were sold in 2009, or 12.5% of the overall albums market. Moreover, during 2009 98% of singles, some 149.7m single tracks and bundles, were sold in digital formats.

“Despite difficult trading conditions and the ever-present competition from illegal downloading, UK music sales remained relatively resilient during 2009,” says BPI chief executive Geoff Taylor. “While sales of physical CDs continue to trend downwards, music fans are clearly responding to the explosive growth of digital retailers and outlets selling and streaming music in the UK - 2009's record singles result is clearly encouraging."