Reports Show Big Jump In Digital Music Sales But The Picture Still Isn’t Pretty

According to a new IFPI report sales of digital music in the first half of 2006 rose 106% to $945 million. Globally, digital sales now account for 11 per cent of the total recorded music market worldwide, up from 5.5 per cent in December 2005.

The US is still leading the digital revolution, with 18 per cent of recorded music sales now being made through digital channels. Digital music sales in the US increased by 84 per cent to US$ 513 million in the first six months of 2006. Digital music also accounts for a significant part of the overall market in South Korea (51%), Japan (11%), Italy (9%) and the UK (8%).

But that did not offset the continuing drop in CD sales. According the the RIAA music sales in the U.S. fell 6.1% in the first half of the year, led by a 14% drop in CD sales.