As in Canada and the United States, the
y
global music industry considers music file
on the International Scene
swapping and CD burning to be the major
cause of falling sales. According to IFPI,
Canada has established a solid reputation
global unit sales of counterfeit CDs grew
for producing music artists with worldwide
4% in 2003 to 1.1 billion units, more than
commercial appeal. Over the past decade,
one third of all CDs sold worldwide.
Canada's top ten recent international suc
42
However, technology has also given rise
cess stories together have sold 359.5 million
to a new commercial format, the mobile
units around the world, grossing around
phone ringtone. The phenomenon, in which
$5.4 billion (US), based on average
users can purchase basic versions of popu
retail price of $15 (US) per album. Leading
lar tunes from commercial Web sites and
the way is Celine Dion, with sales of
download them to their handset, is so far
150 million units since 1995, followed
only established in Europe and Asia, where
by Shania Twain (70 million), Alanis
mobile phone penetration is much higher
Morissette (45 million), and Avril Lavigne
than in North America. But it has already
(20 million).
45
shown promise: in the UK in 2003, ring
tones of recordings sold as singles often
Sales of Canada s Top 10 Selling
outsold the actual singles.
43
A recent survey
Artists Around the World
shows a potential market for ringtones in
Since January 1995
Canada; though master recording ringtones
Approximate
were not available in 2003, 30% of survey
worldwide sales
respondents said they would consider
Artist
(units 000,000)
1
Celine Dion
150
buying them, when available.
44
2
Shania Twain
70
3
Alanis Morissette
45
4
Avril Lavigne
20
5
Sarah McLachlan
19
6
Nickelback
17
7
Diana Krall
11.5
8
Barenaked Ladies
11
9
Nelly Furtado
6
y
10
Sum 41 (tied)
5
10
Our Lady Peace (tied)
5
Source: Applaud! Vol. 2, No.11 July/August 2004.
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