According to Nielsen SoundScan, total album sales in the US were down 13% in 2010. 326 million albums were sold in all formats vs. 374 million in 2009. Overall music sales (albums, singles, music videos and digital tracks) fell 2.5%. Digital track sales inched up just 1% to 1.17 billion units in 2010 compared to digital growth of 8% in 2009 and 27% in 2008. Label Stats:
Universal Music Group captured 30.84% of album market share, followed by Sony Music Entertainment with 27.95%. Warner Music Group stood at 20.01% and EMI grabbed 10.18%. Indies accounted for the remaining 11.02%.
Eric Garland of Big Champagne attributed some of the shift to the emergence of free and legal alternative sources to music online such as YouTube, Vevo and Pandora.
Universal Music Group captured 30.84% of album market share, followed by Sony Music Entertainment with 27.95%. Warner Music Group stood at 20.01% and EMI grabbed 10.18%. Indies accounted for the remaining 11.02%.
Eric Garland of Big Champagne attributed some of the shift to the emergence of free and legal alternative sources to music online such as YouTube, Vevo and Pandora.
