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# Overall Music Sales Down 9.5% Despite Digital Jump
- URL: https://www.hypebot.com/overall-music-s/
- Published: 2008-01-04T05:55:00.000Z
- Updated: 2008-01-04T05:55:00.000Z
- Description: U.S. music sales dropped another 9.5% last year compared to 2006 despite a 44% increase in digital track sales according to Nielson Soundscan. 500.5 million albums sold in various formats. Continue reading [https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2008/01/overall-music-s.html]
- Author: Bruce Houghton
- Tags: Vinyl, Cassettes & Retail, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-01-21 11:06

[![Downarrowgig](https://hypebot.typepad.com/hypebot/images/2008/01/04/downarrowgig.jpg "Downarrowgig")](http://hypebot.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/01/04/downarrowgig.jpg&ref=hypebot.com)

  
U.S. music sales dropped another 9.5% last year compared to 2006 despite a 44% increase in digital track sales according to [Nielson Soundscan](http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080103/music%5Fsales.html?.v=3&ref=hypebot.com).

500.5 million albums sold in various formats last year down 15% from 2006\. Only 10% of album sales were digital. But the drop re-calculates to 9.5% when sales of digital singles are counted as 10-track equivalent albums. 844.2 million digital tracks were sold in 2007 compared to 588.2 million in 2006.

iTunes became the third-largest music retailer in the U.S. in 2007.

**COMMENTARY:** The bad news for labels comes on two fronts. First, digital sales are not growing at quickly enough to cover physical sales declines. Second, as purchase patterns move from $10+ albums to single $.89 – $.99 tracks, record labels can no longer count on the profits which traditionally flow from a hit song.