More Music Facts for 2009

Nielsen SoundScan data on album sales for 2009, unveiled at the recent NARM (National Association of Record Merchants) convention, show some interesting things about the state of the album. While most sales transactions now are for single, the album is still hanging in there, although full albums still tend to be a physical phenomenon. Here are some facts from the 2009 data:

• 75% of all albums sold are physical (vinyl and CDs); just 25% are digital
• 2.5 million vinyl albums were sold
• 74% of vinyl albums are sold by independent retailers
• Upper demo oriented artists like Susan Boyle (91%) and the Beatles (100%) sell most of their albums in physical form
• Younger-skewing acts like Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas sell more digital albums