Digital formats now account for 23 percent of US-based recording revenues, according to figures published by the RIAA.
The percentage was packaged into a larger breakdown of shipments and revenues in 2007, an report now available at riaa.com.
The digital percentage represents a serious bump from year-ago figures of 16.1 percent – and 9 percent in 2005. Part of that gain comes from increased sales of assets like iTunes downloads, though a meltdown in CD sales is naturally ramping digital percentage gains. For the period, CD shipments dropped 17.5 percent to 511.1 million units, or $7.45 billion in revenues. In terms of revenues, the CD-based drop represents a 20.5 percent slide.
On the digital and mobile side, the breakdown also revealed some softening trends. Mobile formats – including master ringtones, full-track mobile downloads, and ringback tones – moved to 361 million units, a 14.6 percent gain. That is far more subdued than year-ago gains of 85.3 percent. Paid downloads moved to 809.9 million, a 38.1 percent gain, softer than a year-ago jump of 59.8 percent.