It's no secret by now that buying a CD single is soooo 2001. In an era where you can stuff 10,000 songs in a device the size of a paperclip, it’s hardly a revelation that CD single sales have tanked, while 2009 was a record year for digital single sales in the UK. And the BPI has the stats to back it up.

Digital music downloads changed the music industry, thanks in large part to early P2P networks like Napster. There really hasn't been an earth shattering Internet application since, at least one that has completely revolutionized an industry. Facebook is coming close to doing that however; those who use Facebook will tell you it helps keep distant friends much closer.

The latest digital music sales in the UK paint the situation perfectly. In 2002, there were almost 144 million CD single sales with only about 44 million digital download sales. Those numbers have totally flipped in 2009 - there were only 1.9 million CD single sales, with an impressive 117.6 million digital download sales.

The news isn't totally grand of course - as most digital tracks are much less expensive than their CD predecessors. And of course that means less money for the music industry. Topping the charts in 2009 in the UK is Lady Gaga, who claims both the number 1 & 2 positions - with Poker Face and Just Dance. Say what you want about Lady Gaga, but she's got the lock on digital tracks in the UK.

This story is filed in these Slyck News categories

You can discuss this article here - 4 replies