Australia experienced a pronounced dip in physical retail sales during the first half, according to figures recently published by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).
Overall physical revenues slipped 17.3 percent during the first six months to AUS$167.8 million (US$139.8 million), and unit sales dipped 15.7 percent to 20.7 million. Predictably, CD-singles and cassettes dropped precipitously, though CD albums comprised the bulk of the story.
Elsewhere, digital format sales jumped 47.5 percent to AUS$18.1 million (US$15.1 million), a small cushion to the physical blow. In terms of units, digital assets moved upward 89.7 percent to 15.9 million. Of that total, a-la-carte downloads increased 61.6 percent to 7.9 million units, while master ringtones improved 9.0 percent to 2.9 million. Digital assets now account for 9.75 percent of the total market by value.
Story by news analyst Alexandra Osorio.