Music CD sales increasing again

After three years of heavy decline, French record industry reports growing sales in the first quarter of 2010

MUSIC sales in France have started rising again after three consecutive years of decline, new figures have revealed.

According to music industry trade boy Snep, sales climbed 8% in the first three months of this year compared with the same period in 2009, at €128.6m.

Physical CDs still make up the biggest part of the market, at about 80%. Sales of CDs and records rose 4.3% year on year.

This comes after three years of decline. Physical sales fell 25% in 2007, 23% in 2008 and 18.5% last year.

Digital downloading continues to grow - up 28.7% this quarter compared with the same period in 2009.

Snep director-general David El Sayegh told La Tribune: "The situation remains fragile, but we are beginning to see results from our investment in digital."