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Music mad Brits buy nine million online tunes

Out of the 200 million sold across the world...

Tags: music

By Jo Best

Published: 23 March 2005 15:05 GMT

Brits are proving to be the most music-loving nation - buying more albums than any other country - and we just can't get enough of digital formats, according to UK music industry trade body the BPI.

During 2004, single track downloads were Brits' favourite pop picks, with 5.7 million individual tracks sold. When albums and online EPs are added in, the UK bought around nine million songs.

Sales in the four big digital music markets - UK, US, France and Germany - were 200 million, a year-on-year tenfold increase. Sales of physical format music declined by 1.3 per cent worldwide.

Despite the boom in online tunes, John Kennedy, chairman of the IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry), said that while digital sales are making progress in buyers' preferences, piracy is still keeping sales low in mainland Europe and Asia.

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