200 million downloads as online music sales take off

Published on Thursday 20 January 2005 00:58

THE impact of the digital music revolution was revealed yesterday, with figures showing a ten-fold increase in legal downloads last year - to more than 200 million.

The figure, for the UK, the United States and Germany, is published in a report which predicts that digital music could account for 25 per cent of total sales in five years.

The number of legal online services from which music can be bought has quadrupled to more than 230 worldwide, with more than 150 of these in Europe.

The figures show a phenomenal increase in the popularity of legal digital music sites since 2003, when about 20 million tracks were downloaded legally.

The report by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry says: "Legitimate online music services have done what some thought only a year ago was unthinkable: they have proved that they can take on the authorised fee alternatives."

The UK has the most advanced digital market in Europe, with more than 30 legal download services, followed by Germany and France.