Is the music industry growing or shrinking? Reuters reports on optimism from Forrester and GartnerG2 analysts:
After a bruising three-year slump, CD sales are showing signs of turning up, and analysts expect that another big stocking stuffer this year will be digital music players, driving traffic to a range of legal download services struggling to make a name in the burgeoning market.
In contrast, Informa Media expects music sales to fall for the next two years:
For 2003 the value of the world’s music sales is forecast to fall for the fourth year in succession. Informa Media estimates the decrease in the retail value will be 8.9%, reducing the overall value of sales to $28.2 billion. CD sales, which fell for the first time in 2001, are forecast to decrease for a third year – by 8% to 2.1 billion units.
