British-based digital music service provider 7digital.com registered a 300% spike in first half sales of MP3-format tracks, thanks largely to the roll-out of Warner Music and EMI’s libraries as DRM-free downloads.
“High-quality, DRM-free MP3 downloads have really sparked a new wave of digital music take up,” comments Ben Drury, CEO of London-based 7digital.com, in a statement issued today.
The sales explosion, which compares the six months to June with the corresponding period in 2007, accompanies a 130% rise in traffic to the site, the company notes. Almost 2 million Internet users visit the company’s site each month, which 7digital now boasts is the No. 2 digital music retailer in the United Kingdom.
“It is now clear that MP3 downloads represent the future for digital music,” adds Drury. “With two of the four major labels now supporting MP3 in the U.K., we expect to see the whole market supporting MP3 in the not-too-distant future.”
The company’s three best-selling albums in the MP3-format so far this year are, Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends” (Parlophone), Kylie Minogue’s “X” (Parlophone) and Radiohead’s “In Rainbows” (XL).
