Music purchases in the UK reach highest level since 2006

154 million albums were either streamed, bought or downloaded the UK last year, the largest amount since 2006, when the figure stood at 161.4 million. The majority of sales (three quarters) were made through streaming - fans streamed 114 billion songs last year, a new record (1,000 streams generate one "sale"). Just three years ago, the technology was only responsible for 36% of album sales. Sales of CDs continued to nosedive, with 26.5 million sold over the last 12 months - a drop of 26.8%. By contrast, vinyl sales rose by 4.1%, with the format now accounting for one in every eight albums bought in the UK. Cassettes also proved surprisingly popular, with more than 80,000 tapes sold in 2019 - the highest figure since 2004. BBC...