Sales of Recorded Music, Videos Sink Again

Sales of recorded music and music videos sank 8% to $12.6 billion last year, the music industry’s leading trade organization said.

The dramatic drop in dollar value reflects an 8.9% decline in shipments of compact discs, which account for most of the industry’s volume. According to statistics from the Recording Industry Assn. of America, labels shipped 803.3 million CDs, generating about $12 billion.

The overall decline follows a 4.1% drop-off a year earlier. The trade organization’s statistics are based on total record label shipments of 859.7 million CDs, cassettes, vinyl recordings and music videos, the lowest volume in at least a decade.

The data measure products shipped to retailers -- not sold to customers -- and distributed through record clubs and mail-order catalogs.