The Register and The Sydney Morning Herald are beginning to analyze and debate the recent sales figures released by the UK and Australian recording industry associations. In summary:
In the UK, record sales, by value, have fallen up to 30%. But at the same time, record prices, at the retail level, have fallen by up to 30%. The number of records shipped appears to have remained steady over the past few years.
In OZ, sales of singles have fallen. But the number of sales of albums have actually risen 8%, to record levels over the past few years, while the value of these sales has only risen 2% (due to cuts in album prices).
As a result, the impact of final sharing upon record sales continues to be mired in confusion and controversy. Thus, even more content for blogs like this one.
