The latest Nielsen SoundScan figures in the US show that 255 million albums have been sold in the US this year, up 3% on the 247 million sold by this point last year – a point when sales were down 13% on 2009. Strong sales of titles like Adele’s 21 (4.3m copies) and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way (1.9m) have contributed to the rise. “There’s a clear rebound in music sales this year,” Vivendi CEO Jean-Bernard Levy tells Business Week. “We don’t want to claim victory. But the music industry may be at a turning point.”
It would be wise not to claim victory: analytics firm Big Champagne has already pointed out that while unit sales are up, actual revenues are down, since the key driver for the higher sales is lower prices. The important data will come early next year, gauging revenues not just from sales of music, but from the new breed of access-based services, and other sources.
