LONDON (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — 2009 marked the first time that revenues for digital downloads outperformed CD and DVD earnings in the UK while the industry managed to notch up an overall rise in annual revenue, according to the latest figures by UK royalty collection service PRS For Music.
According to the latest figured released by, PRS for Music, online revenues grew by a whopping 72.7% to £30.4m ($46.1 million), reflecting the increased number of legal licensed digital music services available in the UK and across Europe. This marks the first time that digital music growth outperformed the decline in traditional CD and DVD sales, which were down by £8.7m ($13.2 million.)
PRS also reported that British songwriters, composers and music publishers earned £623 million ($944.8 million) in royalties in 2009, up 2.6 percent on 2008.
"2009 was the first year in which the growth in revenues from the legal digital market compensated for the decline in revenues from traditional CDs and DVDs, though we remain cautious as to whether this represents a true turning point. The next decade does however promise further growth in earnings from the legal digital market as well as the use of British music overseas.” said PRS for Music chief executive Robert Ashcroft. – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
