NARM finds music sales are up in first half of 2011

NARM, the music business association, is especially encouraged by today's report from Nielsen Soundscan that U.S. music sales are up for the first half of 2011. It's also the first time in seven years a positive benchmark for album sales has been reached. Here are the stats through the week ending July 3: Album sales (physical and digital) are up almost 1%; Track Equivalent Albums (album sales, plus track sales where 10 tracks equal one album) are up 3.6%; Digital album sales are up 19%; and Digital tracks sales are up 11%. Overall music sales (albums, singles, music videos) are up 8.5%. Rap, Rock, Electronic, New Age, and Classical genres have all posted increases from 1% to 13%.



“This is certainly very welcome news for the music business given the rampant piracy the industry has faced in the past decade and continues to confront worldwide," said NARM President Jim Donio. "We are understandably cautious, but it is indeed exciting to see that the needle is moving in the right direction. Of course, everyone wants to get their heads around what has inspired the upward trend after so many tough years. I think there is a confluence of factors, including the shut down of Limewire; more paths for legitimate digital commerce; a combination of successful new and catalog product offering great music from Adele, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Mumford and Sons, and Katy Perry, among others; new value propositions being embraced by music fans; the impact of Record Store Day; enhanced marketing efforts that maximize the use of social media tools; and immediate access to music from TV programming."



Donio continued, "The increase in digital album sales year over year has been particularly strong, with almost a third of albums sold being delivered in a digital format. Just this week, Eminem's 2010 album Recovery became the first album to hit a million in digital sales, and is expected to be quickly followed by Adele's 21, which is the top selling album of this year so far. On the physical front, the decline in CD sales has been stemmed dramatically from -18% in 2010 to -6% this year so far, with sales actually up about 1% in the second quarter of 2011. Vinyl continues its upward trajectory with a 41% jump from 2010."



About NARM:

Established in 1958, NARM (National Association of Recording Merchandisers) is the trade association for the business of music, providing the central platform for the discussion of industry-wide concerns, spearheading the implementation of initiatives to promote music commerce, and advocating for common interests. Members include companies and individuals from all aspects of music distribution, including physical, digital, and mobile outlets as well as gaming, applications, merchandise, video and more. NARM members have access to a variety of conferences, virtual seminars, networking opportunities, information and education resources, including the Annual Convention, one of the most important events on the music industry calendar. NARM is a non-profit organization based in Marlton, New Jersey. Visit us at www.narm.com.