U.S. H1 Album Sales Down 15.1%

More dismal news about record sales...

The mid-year ended with the U.S. music industry still reeling from the downturn in physical goods. According to Nielsen SoundScan, album sales were down 15.1% for the year to nearly 230 million units in the six-month period ended July 1.
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UK's Rough Trade Tries to Fight Back Against Declining Music Sales

In the face of a huge industry downturn, Rough Trade gambles on plans to open a huge (almost 54,000 square feet) retail outlet in London...

If you want to lose a lot of money, current wisdom suggests that opening a record shop would be a good way to do it. Better still, open the biggest music-only shop in Britain and spend a fortune on fitting it out with a top-of-the-range PA system and bespoke furniture created by one of Britain’s top architects � exactly what Rough Trade plans to do when it opens its new, 5,000-square-metre branch, designed by David Adjaye, in east London later this month.

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