January 2, 2008 16:26

Music download sales double in 2007

Festive period credited for rise in digital sales

Sales firgures released today show that music downloads in the last week in 2007 were double that of the exact same week in 2006 in the UK.

According to the [/b]British Phonographic Industry[/b], the increase is mostly due to the ongoing popularity of MP3 players as Christmas presents, causing a massive growth surge in music downloads during the festive period.

2.95 million paid-for songs were downloaded in the week - the highest amount recorded for any one week in the UK.

77.5 million legal downloads were sold in the UK throughout 2007.

BPI spokesman Matt Phillips, speaking to BBC News, credited the sales rise to the "ease and convenience" of legal digital music services.