SALES of CDs in the United States dropped by 31.5 percent in the first half of 2015, according to music industry figures.

    Just 41 million CDs were bought between January and June, down from 56.8 million in the same period last year.

    But the losses were largely offset by a growth in streaming revenues, which grew 23 percent to reach US$1.03 billion.

    Streaming now accounts for one-third of the U.S. music industry’s income, which remains relatively flat, with total revenue down 0.5 percent to US$3.17 billion.

    Wholesale revenues — which reflect what distributors and record labels actually receive — rose 0.8 percent to US$2.32 billion.

    The vinyl resurgence continued apace, amid a surge in new independent record shops.

    Sales of LPs grew by 52 percent in the first half of the year, raking in US$221.8m — roughly half as much as CD sales.

    However the overall value of vinyl was still far smaller than CDs or digital, according to figures from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

    RIAA Chairman Cary Sherman said that the figures showed “the story of a business undergoing an enormous transition.”

    He also warned that “intense demand and billions of streams do not always equal fair market rates or a fair playing field.”

    Taylor Swift’s “1989” was the biggest-selling album in the first half of 2015, shifting 1,328,000 copies (2,011,000 copies including streaming-equivalent sales).

    Canadian hip-hop star Drake came second, with 965,000 fans buying a copy of his fourth album, “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.”

    The top 10 also included British artists Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran, as well as the “Fifty Shades of Grey” soundtrack.

    (SD-Agencies)