The numbers for CD sales for '09 are in and, you guessed it, it's not pretty - again.
CD sales dropped 17.9 percent from 2008, reports Billboard. This follows the trend of the past few years, which saw a 19.7 percent drop in '08 from '07 and an 18.8 percent drop in '07 from '06. But, digital sales will save the day, right? Well...
Billboard says that digital growth slowed this past year, and sales in that realm were not high enough to make up for lost revenue from CDs. (They say it was actually "nothing close to" what was needed.)
But here's some good news: LP sales are actually up 33 percent, to an impressive 2.5 million sold last year. And, considering all the retail shutdowns this year (Virgin Megastores and Circuit City calling it a day in the U.S. and many retailers, including Starbucks, cutting back on the amount of CDs they carry), a 17.9 percent decline in sales isn't that bad. After all, if stores aren't carrying the stuff, people can't buy it. And, hey, weren't we in a recession for a good chunk of the year?
Who knows? Maybe 2010 will be the year CD sales come racing back (insert sarcasm here).
CD sales dropped 17.9 percent from 2008, reports Billboard. This follows the trend of the past few years, which saw a 19.7 percent drop in '08 from '07 and an 18.8 percent drop in '07 from '06. But, digital sales will save the day, right? Well...
Billboard says that digital growth slowed this past year, and sales in that realm were not high enough to make up for lost revenue from CDs. (They say it was actually "nothing close to" what was needed.)
But here's some good news: LP sales are actually up 33 percent, to an impressive 2.5 million sold last year. And, considering all the retail shutdowns this year (Virgin Megastores and Circuit City calling it a day in the U.S. and many retailers, including Starbucks, cutting back on the amount of CDs they carry), a 17.9 percent decline in sales isn't that bad. After all, if stores aren't carrying the stuff, people can't buy it. And, hey, weren't we in a recession for a good chunk of the year?
Who knows? Maybe 2010 will be the year CD sales come racing back (insert sarcasm here).
