IFPI reports digital music sales double to USD2bn in 2006

Internet Business News, Jan 18, 2007

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Worldwide digital music sales nearly doubled to about USD2bn last year and could amount to 25% of all global sales by 2010, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).

The 2007 Digital Music Report from the IFPI stated that consumers downloaded 795m tracks in 2006, representing an increase of 89% in comparison to the previous year. Tracks available for download, which doubled to over 4m, were downloaded from nearly 500 legitimate online music services offered in 40 countries.

However the increase, which amounts to 10% of all sales, has not yet managed to offset the decrease in CD sales and overall music sales were down 4% in the first half of last year. The IFPI hopes that the increase in online and mobile revenues will at some point compensate in full for a fall in CD sales.

In addition the IFPI stated that the 30,000 actions taken against illegal file-sharers around the world had attained some success against illegal file sharing, but called for ISPs to take more action to prevent sites being established.

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