Retail Recorded Music Sales Ranking

The World Retail Value of Recorded

by Value (2003)

Music Sales by Format 

($000,000 US) (2003)

Value 

2003 Rank

Country

($000,000 US)

% of World

Singles  1,344.5

VHS  160.1

1

USA

11,848

37

LPs  64.0

DVD  1,824.7

2

Japan

4,910

15

Cassettes  832.3

3

UK

3,216

10

4

France 2,115

7

5

Germany

2,022

6

6

Canada

676

2

7

Australia

674

2

8

Italy

645 2

9

Spain

596

2

CDs  27,594.5

10

Netherlands 499

2

Source: IFPI Music & Copyright, April 28, 2004.

Source: IFPI Music & Copyright, April 28, 2004.

The global retail value of CDs, which

account for 86.2% of the value of music

There are signs of recovery in some mar 

sold, fell by 9.1%. The only retail format 

kets. The UK, representing 10% of world

to show growth is the music video DVD,

sales, and Australia, representing 2%, both

representing 5.7% of market value.

saw growth in 2003, by 0.1% and 5.9%,

Spurred by widespread adoption of DVD

respectively. The United States, with a

player technology, the format's global

37% share of the world market, saw its

retail value climbed 67%. Among the top

sales decline slow in the second half of

10 music DVD markets, which collectively

2003. According to Nielsen SoundScan,

accounted for 90% of global music DVD

unit sales in the United States in the last

sales, Canada posted the highest level of

three months of 2003 were 10.5% higher

growth in 2003, at 150%.

than in the same quarter in 2002, while

album sales were up 5.6%. That trend has

continued into 2004; for the first five

months of the year, album sales in the

United States were up 7% over sales for

the same period in 2003, and sales of

downloads were also higher.

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