BPI upbeat as albums fall

Normally, any hint of album sales falling will bring forth a BPI spokesperson wailing about how it's cockle-picker murdering criminals downloading pirated music into children's ears, so it's refreshing to see a measured response to a ten per cent dip in sales in the first three months of 2007:

Much of the slump was down to "particularly poor" sales in the last two weeks of March, according to UK music industry body the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

"Though trading conditions are tough, the UK market has not experienced the declines seen globally," a spokesman said.

"Remember that last year the overall albums market was still up almost 45% by volume on 1997. We shouldn't place too much emphasis on two weeks of disappointing CD album sales."

Blimey... that's... that's honest and reasonable.

Of course, the 62% rise in digital single sales also has had an effect - more and more people are finding the joy of just buying the tracks they want and leaving the filler material sat on the shelves.

Comparisons are with the same period in 2006