Digital music sales up in Canada in 2013

Digital albums sales rose 9% year-on-year in Canada in 2013, while digital singles were up 2%. That’s according to Nielsen SoundScan data, which shows an increase in digital album sales from 10.5 million in 2012 to 11.4 million last year, and digital singles moving from 114.3 million to 116.1 million. The Canadian figures contrast to those in the US, where digital album sales dropped for the first time in 2013 as the overall albums sector declined by 8.4%.

Total album sales (physical and digital) in Canada were down 6% year-on-year from 31.3 million to 29.3 million, while overall album sales (all albums plus track equivalent albums) were down 4% – from 42.7 million to 40.9 million.

Physical albums sales slumped 15%, with 17.6 million sold in 2013 compared to 20.6 million in 2012.

Eminem’s Marshall Mathers LP 2 was the top selling album in Canada, shifting 242,000 units, while Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines was the top selling digital track with 692,000 sold.

The best selling digital album of 2013 was Imagine Dragons’ Night Visions, which sold 100,000 units.

Celine Dion lead the Top 10 physical CDs chart with Loved Me Back To Life.

Source: Music Week / Billboard