Digital singles are set for a record year in the UK after breaking through the 100 million sales barrier in record time, according to new figures.
The data, from Official Charts Company, indicates that sales of the year’s top 10-selling tracks have risen by 38.5 per cent compared to their equivalents last year.
Total singles sales rose by 12.2 per cent year-on-year, with the most popular singles lingering around the charts for months, challenging the notion that online sales will lead to a more ‘disposable music’ culture.
Adele, who has sold one million singles in 2011 so far, sales of the top 10 tracks are 2.1 million units up on last year’s most popular songs.
However, the Official Charts Company also said that the top end of the singles market is growing at more than three times the rate of the overall sector, meaning that fewer singles are becoming hits.
In addition, the singles market revival has not prevented the continuing downturn in album sales, down 1% cent in 2011. But digital album sales alone have soared 39.1% this year, with 10 million full albums downloaded legally.
The slump in CD album sales continues with a further 8.5% fall this year.
Although 2.81 million more digital albums were sold this year, compared to the same period last year, it did not make up for the 3.26 million lost CD sales. The singles revival has also hit compilation albums, which helped keep the CD industry buoyant.
Meanwhile a seven-year decline in music sales has been reversed in the US, giving the industry hope that the digital revolution, which threatened recorded music, can now be harnessed to create new stars.
