Music sales hit highest level since 2006 but CDs plummet

Data from the music industry body the BPI revealed that the equivalent of 154m albums were purchased or streamed in 2019 – the highest level since the 161.4m albums registered in 2016.

The figure covers purchases made across all formats, including digital downloads, streams from subscription services such as Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Prime, as well as physical sales of CDs, vinyl and cassettes.

But the figures were dominated by digital, with the equivalent of 114m albums streamed in 2019 – an increase of more than a quarter on the previous year.

Fans listened to a record 114bn tracks on streaming services. Every 1,000 tracks streamed is deemed the equivalent of one real-world album by the BPI.

In contrast, sales of CDs dropped 26.5% to 23.5m last year and now account for just 15% of total music revenues in the UK. Just three years ago, almost 50m CDs were sold in Britain.

The figures serve to highlight the extent of the challenge posed to high street names like HMV, which is pinning its hopes on a physical music revival and the introduction of more in-store gigs to drive footfall.

The resurgence of vinyl sales, however, could play to retailers’ advantage. Vinyl sales hit 4.3m in 2019, marking their 12th consecutive year of growth.

John Lewis said it recorded a 400% spike in turntable sales between November and December as the vinyl trend helped them become a popular Christmas gift. The department store retailer said it has seen a 25% increase in turntable sales over the past three years.

Cassette sales also increased, according to the BPI, almost doubling year-on-year to 80,400 sales – their biggest year since 2004.