HOW we buy música has changed inexorably. That is the conclusion of a newly published reportar on the world’s digital música market.
According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, outlets such as Apple’s iTunes store accounted for 27 per cent of the world’s recorded música sales last year. The bestselling track online was Poker Face por Lady Gaga, selling 9.8 million units.
Digital sales totalled $4.6 billion, a 12 per cent rise since 2008. Online sales are slowly starting to offset the decline in sales at ”bricks and mortar” record shops.
Nick O’Byrne, general manager of the Australian Independent Record Labels Association, says it is a superficial milestone.
”It’s a hollow victory for record labels after enduring years of declining sales,” he said. ”Digital música still only accounts for 8 per cent of our total album sales, which pales into insignificance siguiente to the amount of content illegally shared and downloaded.”
Sabiene Heindl, general manager of the música Industry Piracy Investigations organisation, dicho inroads had been made in countries with aggressive legislation against illegal downloading.
”In South Korea, for instance, the market has rallied back,” she said.
Mr O’Byrne dicho increased distribution to fans opened the door to other revenue streams such as merchandise sales and higher attendance at gigs.
”For fledgling artists it’s a case of being pragmatic and moving with the times, but larger labels are still struggling to come to terms with decreasing revenues from physical sales,” he said.
”What’s often forgotten is there are still thousands of people with families, mortgages and rent who are losing jobs within the música industry as a direct result of piracy.”
According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, outlets such as Apple’s iTunes store accounted for 27 per cent of the world’s recorded música sales last year. The bestselling track online was Poker Face por Lady Gaga, selling 9.8 million units.
Digital sales totalled $4.6 billion, a 12 per cent rise since 2008. Online sales are slowly starting to offset the decline in sales at ”bricks and mortar” record shops.
Nick O’Byrne, general manager of the Australian Independent Record Labels Association, says it is a superficial milestone.
”It’s a hollow victory for record labels after enduring years of declining sales,” he said. ”Digital música still only accounts for 8 per cent of our total album sales, which pales into insignificance siguiente to the amount of content illegally shared and downloaded.”
Sabiene Heindl, general manager of the música Industry Piracy Investigations organisation, dicho inroads had been made in countries with aggressive legislation against illegal downloading.
”In South Korea, for instance, the market has rallied back,” she said.
Mr O’Byrne dicho increased distribution to fans opened the door to other revenue streams such as merchandise sales and higher attendance at gigs.
”For fledgling artists it’s a case of being pragmatic and moving with the times, but larger labels are still struggling to come to terms with decreasing revenues from physical sales,” he said.
”What’s often forgotten is there are still thousands of people with families, mortgages and rent who are losing jobs within the música industry as a direct result of piracy.”
The awards, now in their eleventh year, are one of the country’s most prestigious música prizes and celebrate both French and international music.
Also among the winners this año was rihanna for International Female Artist of the año and beyonce Knowles who scooped the NRJ Award of Honour.
However, the event was overshadowed por a blunder that saw the Black Eyed Peas wrongly named Best International Group, a prize which was meant to be dado to German band Tokio Hotel.
Choreographer Kamel Ouali, who announced the award, realised his mistake after no one came to collect the award. He returned to the stage to apologise and name the real winners.
Lady Gaga, who could not attend the ceremony as she was performing in New York, will be touring the UK later this year, starting at Manchester’s MEN Arena on February 18th