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| Music downloads have increased dramatically in the
UK |
Music downloads have increased dramatically
in the UK
Do you like music? Of course you do. Are you still going to the
record shop to buy your records? If you are, you may not be for much longer.
According to the British Phonographic Industry – the BPI,
the organisation responsible for music sales in the UK, more than ten million
songs have been downloaded legally from the Internet in the UK in 2005.
That figure is more than twice as much as were
downloaded in 2004, and experts think it will continue to grow over the coming
years.
However, the traditional single has not disappeared. In fact,
there was an 87% increase in sales of 7-inch vinyl singles this
year. "You cannot write off traditional formats
just yet", said Mr Jamieson, spokesman for the BPI.
Since music download services began a year ago, the British
music industry has been quick to take advantage and is now beginning to feel the
benefits. While the fight against illegal downloading
continues, it seems the public have been happy to join the new legal services.
You access the web page, choose the songs you want, type in your credit card
details and you can download immediately.
The British public still enjoys buying records, however, and
sales have been the best since 1998, according to the BPI. New rock groups such
as Babyshambles, Kaiser Chiefs and Franz Ferdinand have been extremely popular
and helped make sales so high.
British music is also incredibly popular in the USA at the
moment. Last year 75 UK albums sold over 100 000 units in the US, compared to
just 66 in 2003. Coldplay also had number one albums in the UK
at the same time as the US, the first time this has happened since 2000.
With music you can buy in the shops and music you can download
from the Internet, from Coldplay to Oasis, Gorillaz to Franz Ferdinand, British
music is going from strength to strength!
