2003 Retail Sales of Recordings in

Forecast Recorded Music Sales 

Canada by Format Units (000,000)

in Canada ($000,000 US) 

Singles  0.9

800

VHS  0.8

Cassettes  0.4

700

DVDs  4

711

600

661

634

621

629

500

400

CDs  53.1

300

200

100

Total 58.6

0

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

Source: Music & Copyright, July 7, 2004.

Source: Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Wilkofsky Gruen

Associates from Music & Copyright, July 21, 2004. 

By September 2004, the market was show 

ing signs of growth, with unit sales in 

Canadian recording artists have fared 

the first nine months rising 5.0% over the

better than their foreign counterparts in

same period the year before, according to

the national market, according to Nielsen

Nielsen SoundScan. This growth was led

SoundScan. Of the top 200 albums in

by the mass merchant sector, with unit

Canada, accounting for around 25% of

sales 8.9% higher than the same previous

total annual album sales, Canadian artists'

year period, compared with 3.6% unit

share of units sold has been on the rise

sales growth at traditional retail outlets.

21

since 1998, reaching 27.2% in 2003 with

Despite this positive news, some analysts

sales of 4.6 million units.

23

Unit sales of

do not expect sales to recover this year.

albums in the top 200 by Canadian artists

Pricewaterhouse Coopers, for one, forecasts

grew 36.8% between 2001 and 2003, while

Canadian music sales to fall 3.4% in

foreign artists have shown a steady decline,

2004 and a further 2.1% in 2005 before

falling 34.8% in the same period. The

rebounding 1.3% the following year.

22

proportion of albums by Canadian artists

on Nielsen SoundScan's top 200 list has

also increased, rising from 18% in 2001

to 26% in 2003.

24

13