Andre Yoskowitz
6 Jan 2011 12:04
U.S. album sales declined in 2010 for the ninth time in the last ten years, and online downloads saw stalled growth, as well.
Music fans purchased 326.2 million physical CDs and digital albums in 2010, down 12.8 percent from 2009.
The figure is the lowest since 1993, the first year SoundScan began compiling the numbers.
Individual song downloads grew only 1 percent, to 1.17 billion, after 7 years of double and even triple digit growth.
The top album for the year was Eminem's latest, "Recovery," which moved 3.4 million copies. That number is higher than any album has seen since 2007.
By comparison, Eminem's blockbuster 2002 CD "Eminem Show" sold 7.6 million copies.
As a collection, the 8 albums of the "Glee" series sold 3.6 million copies.
The top selling individual song was Katy Perry's "California Gurls," at 4.4 million copies.