Does this mean the British music industry is beating piracy? Or is it a brief golden period?
Worldwide, the music industry has had to deal with tough times over the last few years. Sales of CDs have fallen consistently since the late 1990s – hit by internet downloads the music industry says are illegal and millions of counterfeit CDs produced by illicit factories. But figures in this week’s issue of UK music industry magazine Music Week show artist albums – excluding compilation albums – sold 120,968,891 in 2003 – a rise of 7.6% on the previous year. Some attribute part of the upturn to interest in new acts like The Darkness, The Thrills, Damien Rice and Dizzee Rascal. The figures seem to contradict warnings that piracy is killing the UK music industry. But the answer, say some music figures who spoke to BBC News Online, is not so simple. Piracy problems Piracy remains a huge problems in the UK, says Matt Phillips, a spokesman for the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) trade organisation. He said a common misconception was that ‘”industrial piracy” – where CDs are mass produc
