Music sales off 0.6 percent in 2005: group

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Despite healthy increases in
digital music revenues in 2005, overall U.S. music industry
sales fell 0.6 percent to $12.27 billion in 2005, according to
the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Music industry sales have eased every year beginning in
2000 except for 2004, when sales rose 4.1 percent, the trade
group said, citing competition from other media and piracy as
factors undermining the health of the music industry.

The overall approximate retail value of the industry fell
to $12.27 billion in 2005 from $12.34 billion in 2004.

The 2005 figures include some categories not collected in
2004, such as mobile, digital subscription, digital music video
and kiosk sales.

Overall physical units, including CDs, DVD videos,
cassettes and other items shipped to retail fell by 7.6
percent, when compared with 2004.

Meanwhile, sales of digital singles grew 163 percent to
366.9 million units in 2005 and full-length digital album
shipments grew 198.5 percent to 13.6 million.

Overall album shipments, including physical and digital
albums, fell 3.9 percent to 794.7 million in 2005, the RIAA
said.

Mobile formats such as ringtones, ringbacks and other
content shipped 170 million units, which represents $421.6
million in retail value, the trade group said.

The RIAA represents major labels such as Vivendi Universal
EAUG.PA>> Warner Music Group Corp., EMI Group Plc and Sony BMG,
a joint venture of Sony Corp. and Bertelsmann AG.