And more year end stats hit the ticker

Live music sales have continued to grow in the US as a record USD2.1bn changes hands for gig tickets. Pollstar say this is the fourth increase in a row, although we were sure someone was saying the 2001 sales had fallen (although that was only for the top fifty artists).

Now, what's interesting here is that the rise in total take was helped considerably by a massive six percent hike in average price of tickets - the top 100 acts now charge a mean of USD46.56, with the average stub into a McCartney gig, say, being USD129.92.

This in a country where five people can enjoy a good meal out and still have change from sixty bucks. Maybe here's another reason for the slump in album sales - by the time you've sold your kidneys to pay for the greatest hits tour, you can't afford to buy an album.