According to the Nielsen Company & Billboard’s 2012 Music Industry Report, U.S. music sales surpassed 1.65 billion unit transactions last year, up 3.1 percent compared to 2011. Digital album sales increased by 14.10 percent, and digital track sales rose by 5.1 percent. Sales of physical music (CDs, LPs and tapes) fell by 12.8 percent.
Nielsen’s Senior VP of Client Development David Bakula said, “Digital Album sales are up 14.1% and Digital Track sales are up 5.1%, but despite being down 12.8%, physical is still the dominant album format.”
Adele’s album “21” was the best selling album for the second consecutive year, and Gotye’s “Sombody that I Used to Know” Ft. Kimbra was digitally streamed 45,062,000 times.
Many audiophiles say there’s no comparison between the sound quality produced by vinyl recordings and other recording media, including tape and digital. Which do you prefer? Let us know by posting a comment below.