LONDON - Worldwide music sales rose by nearly 10% in 2018, a fourth consecutive year of growth fuelled by online streaming, according to figures released on Tuesday by an industry body.
"We are now much more optimistic," said IFPI chief executive Frances Moore, describing the period prior to recent growth as a "mourn fest" when "we only had bad years". But paid downloads fell by 21.2% and physical sales of music were down by 10.1%. "They are hacking and downloading the music... at the price of the stream, and very often they are not paying at all," he said.Marked regional disparities exist within the positive global growth picture.In North America, where the transition from physical to digital music formats is well advanced, sales also jumped, by 14% last year.Meanwhile, the IFPI's annual singles chart saw rising Cuban-American star Camila Cabello, Canadian rapper Drake and Briton Ed Sheeran top of the pile.