Live Concerts, Festivals Booming As Recording Business Slips

“UK fans spent £1.45bn on gigs in 2009 – up 4% from the previous year. In 2008, fans spent more money on live music than recorded music for the first time in modern history, and that gap has now widened. Sales of CDs, records and digital downloads remained flat at £1.35bn in 2009. The picture has changed dramatically since 2004, when almost £2bn was spent on recorded music – more than double the amount spent on live music.”