Soundtrack

The ingredients in this stew are things like album downloads, Spotify subscriptions, and (yes) ringtones. It's single-digit growth, yes, but the IFPI challenged the prevailing wisdom that digital formats are headed towards plateau. Specifically, the group noted that digital formats gained 5 percent heading into 2011, though it may take a few years to understand the broader trend.

That said, there were some eye-opening details in this report. For starters, digital formats now account for half of total revenues in two markets: the US (52 percent), and South Korea (53 percent), though both have seen unceremonious plunges in physical (ie, CD) sales.

http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/permalink/2012/120123billion?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

...there’s more to the music business than just music and fans are happy to pay for valuable physical goods. I used to think the Internet’s impact on the music business would be a move to digital and away from physical. I know now the Internet’s biggest impact is consumer empowerment manifesting in both fan choice and the ability to connect directly with the artists they love.

"My goal is to try and rescue the art form that I’ve been practicing for the past 50 years. We live in the digital age and, unfortunately, it’s degrading our music, not improving it.”