Fed: CD sales make come back

AAP General News (Australia)
12-04-2008
Fed: CD sales make come back

By Katherine Field, National Entertainment Writer

SYDNEY, Dec 4 AAP - The humble CD is not heading for the grave just yet with new figures
showing sales have soared in the last six weeks.

According to the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), CD sales from the
six weeks from the end of October were 22 per cent higher than the same time last year.

And top five album chart sales more than doubled from the same time in 2007.

ARIA head Ed St John said he hadn't seen such high figures around the Christmas period
in more than four or five years.

"We always get a lift at Christmas but this is out of the box and much earlier than
normal," St John told AAP on Thursday.

In recent times, number one albums have been selling about 8,000 units a week, but
that has increased to about 20,000 or 30,000 now, he said.

St John, who is also the head of the Warner Music label in Australia, said the industry
was surprised by the figures given the continual rise of online downloading and piracy.

"We stopped expecting really significant lifts in sales," St John told AAP.

Interestingly, the trend is not being replicated overseas.

And it also comes at a time when the retail market is struggling due to tougher economic times.

"Maybe it's because music is a good price or maybe people particularly need entertaining
at the moment," St John said.

The higher sales have come thanks to offerings from US band Kings of Leon, veteran
Aussie rockers AC/DC and US superstar Pink.

It is expected to keep increasing until Christmas with new offerings from the likes
of Dido, Beyonce, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga.

But whether the comeback can be sustained further down the track was uncertain, St John said.

"I think it's driven by a particularly good bunch of records out there that have got
people motivated," St John said.

"Time will tell how long it lasts, but it's pretty good while it lasts."

AAP kaf/jfm/de

KEYWORD: CD

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