As the music industry prepares to celebrate its best and brightest at the Brit Awards tonight, new figures reveal the UK is leading the way when it comes to digital music.
Digital revenues surpassed 50% of the record industry’s turnover in Britain for the first time last year, according to trade body BPI. An 11.9% increase in digital revenues helped the industry grow turnover for the first time in four years in 2013.
The BPI said Bad Blood, the debut album from Bastille, pictured, was the most downloaded album of the year, and “deluxe” versions of records such as Beyoncé’s latest release also helped to increase sales. Streaming revenues for services such as Spotify and Deezer leapt 41% in the year.
A separate report from analysts IHS Insight and App Annie found 20% of all spending on digital entertainment in the UK went on music last year, a higher proportion than in any other country.
BPI chief executive Geoff Taylor said: “With digital increasingly becoming its key source of revenue, Britain’s music industry is fit and ready to seize the global opportunities it offers.”
