(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — The 11th edition of The Recording Industry In Numbers contains statistics and analysis of 68 countries' music markets around the world. It includes a breakdown of the most popular genres in the main markets, examines the changing face of music retailing and consumption, gives an overview of the growing market for digital music and charts the history of world sales of recorded music since 1969.
The top 50 best-selling album, globally, in 2003 was Norah Jones' Come 'Away With Me, followed by (in order of sales) by 50 Cent Get Rich or Die Tryin', Linkin Park Meteora, Dido Life for Rent, Beyonce Knowles Dangerously in Love' Coldplay A Rush of Blood to the Head, Evanescence Fallen, Britney Spears In the Zone' Avril Lavigne Let Go and Celine Dion One Heart.
For the first time IFPI has produced market shares based on wholly or majority owned content on a country by country basis. This is in addition to regional and world market share figures, published for the first time by IFPI in the 2002 edition. The global market shares for 2003 are: BMG – 11.9%, EMI – 13.4%, Sony -13.2%, Universal – 23.5%, Warner – 12.7% and independents – 25.3%.
In the retail sector there is a clear trend towards non-specialist retailing and sales of music over the internet. For example, in the UK, supermarkets' share of the market increased from 8.9% in 1999 to 21.9% in 2003. In France, where the trend is more pronounced, hypermarkets accounted for 39% in 2003. Internet sales – the sale of physical product via online stores – has increased in Germany from 1% in 1999 to 12% in 2003. –Jane Cohen and Bob Grossweiner
