Issue date: 1/26/07 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: Chris Watling Online Music Sales for 2005 to 2006 [Click to enlarge]

In today's world people, download their music off the Internet, Limewire, Bearshare, Kazzaa. Whether you pay for your downloads or get them for free, we live in a technology age where everything is available on the Internet.
According to The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), global digital music sales doubled in 2006 to two billion from last year. Digital downloads increased from 5.5 percent in 2005 to 10 percent in 2006.
Single track downloads totaled 795 million in 2006, up 89 percent. The United States accounts for the bulk of those sales, with 582 million single tracks sold digitally. In 2006, download sales went up to 65 percent from 2005. Digital albums downloads now account for six percent of all album sales in the U.S. Entire album downloads have now surpassed the number of single song downloads.
iTunes created by Apple is the leader in online downloads. They have sold over two billion tracks since its launch in April 2003. Out of the two billion tracks sold more than one billion were sales purchased in 2006.
The U.K. is the world's second largest market for digital music sales, with 53 million single track downloads sold in 2006, that is double the number sold in 2005.
Music subscription services such as Rhapsody, Napster and Emusic now reach 3.5 million consumers worldwide, growing by 25 percent in the last year. The majority of subscribers are located in the U.S. Music subscription services accounted for 7 percent of digital revenues in the first half of 2006.
Classical music is he fastest growing music genre in the U.S., growing by 23 percent. There are nearly 500 online music services available in over 40 countries worldwide.

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