The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) has unveiled its 2013 wholesale figures, which show that digital music revenues have exceeded physical sales for the first time.
Digital music revenues accounted for 54.7% of the market in 2013, as opposed to a 45.3% share for physical product. As a whole, the market for music experienced an 11.6% decrease in revenues (as opposed to a 4% lift in 2012).
Truth be told, there's nothing shocking about those numbers — except that digital revenue hadn't overtaken physical sales sooner, or that revenues actually went up in 2012. The 2013 figures just confirm what everyone has assumed about the shape of the music industry for a long time.
Interestingly enough, digital album unit sales actually rose 7.88% in 2013, even as digital album sales were on the decline in the US and the UK. You'd think the only explanation for this is that Australians haven't figured out how to use Spotify yet, but streaming revenues almost doubled in 2013 (to account for 5.9% of the total market).
To nobody's surprise, CD album sales nosedived, dropping 25%. The vinyl resurgence was felt, however, with a 77% increase in vinyl album sales.
If you're the patriotic type, you'll also be proud to note that a record 14 Australian albums hit the #1 spot in 2013.
ARIA CEO Dan Rosen told The Music Network that Australia is well-placed to prosper in the digital music landscape: "It is an exciting time, as Australian music fans are consuming more music than ever before with an ever-expanding range of options to access music — whether it is streaming music, digital downloads or visiting the local record store."
