CD Sales Improve Last Week But Year Remains Down

CD sales in the US showed small signs of life last week, though overall yearly totals remain down. Total units last week hit 10.5 million units, a jump of nearly 9 percent over the previous year for this period. Much of the reason was Kanye West, who surpassed 860,000 units of his latest release, "Late Registration". That is a very strong first week total reminiscent of better times, but cumulative sales this year continue to pose a problem, with a total of 375.2 million units representing an 8.5 percent decline over similar figures in 2004. Some believe that the fourth quarter will help, but a miracle turnaround now seems unlikely.