According to UK music body the BPI, a wave of new album releases are set to make music one of the most popular gifts this Christmas, with as many as 20 million CDs expected to be sold in December alone. Commenting on music’s appeal as a gift, BPI Chief Executive, Geoff Taylor, said: “Music is a thoughtful and personal gift to give or receive. Consumers are spoilt for choice this Christmas with a range of gifting options to choose from, both online and in thousands of high street stores across the UK.”
Music contributing to good sales include new material from Rihanna, Amy Winehouse, One Direction and Justin Bieber and Deluxe and Special Edition albums from The Rolling Stones, Susan Boyle, Florence + the Machine, Hugh Laurie, David Guetta and Gorillaz. In the 12 months ending September 2011, one in 10 CD sales of the Top 200 best-selling artist album titles were Deluxe and Special Editions.
The lead-up to Christmas continues to be an important time for music sales. In the past five years, December has accounted for an average 22% of annual album sales. Last year, CD sales represented 86% of all music bought during the final quarter of 2010 with Kantar’s Worldpanel reporting that over a half of all CD album sales (51.1%) were attributed to gift purchases.
“Be it the new Spotify gift card, iTunes voucher or a chart-topping album from your favourite artist, there is something for new music buyers and superfans alike at better value than ever before,” said Taylor. “CDs gift-wrapped and delivered to your door by the retailer make an ideal gift for Christmas whilst Deluxe and Special Editions of albums make a perfect present for die-hard music fans who want to get their hands on superbly packaged albums with bonus audio and video content and a wealth of memorabilia.
