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U.S. Music Album Sales Down 7 Percent
U.S. album sales were down about 7 percent as 2005 drew to a close, but the budding market for music downloads, which more than doubled over last year, helped narrow the revenue gap.
Album sales from January through the week ending Dec. 25 stood at 602.2 million, compared with 650.8 million for the same period last year, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Combined, album and singles sales fell about 8 percent over the same time last year. More than 95 percent of music is sold in CD format.
Downloaded tracks from online retailers soared to 332.7 million this year, compared with 134.2 million in 2004, an increase of 148 percent.
While good news for recording companies looking to expand download sales, it doesn't bode well for music retailers relying on customers to buy music CDs rather than digital downloads to turn a profit amid declining sales.
"More and more we're seeing customers switch to downloads or burning CDs from their friends," said Jesse Klempner, owner of Aron's Records in Hollywood. "The last couple of years we've been hanging on by our teeth."
The top three best-selling albums of 2005 through Dec. 21 were rapper 50 Cent's "The Massacre," which had sold 4.8 million copies, followed by Mariah Carey's "The Emancipation of Mimi" with 4.6 million sold, and Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway," which sold 3.3 million units, Nielsen SoundScan said.
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