Nielsen Soundscan releases annual music sales figures for the United States in the first week of the new year and for Canada one month later. This year Nielsen released the U.S. figures, but nearly three months later, there has still not been a public release of the Canadian figures. However, a
Globe and Mail story over the weekend included the data, which confirms that the Canadian digital market grew faster than the U.S. market in 2010. Last year, digital music sales grew by 19.8% in Canada, while the U.S. market was
basically flat, with just 1% growth. As the chart below demonstrates, this marks five straight years in which the Canadian digital market has grown faster than the U.S.:
Year |
Canada |
United States |
2010 |
20% |
1% |
2009 |
38% |
8% |
2008 |
58% |
27% |
2007 |
73% |
45% |
2006 |
122% |
65% |
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