The music industry can’t stop the hemorrhaging, even with the help of digital music sales. Despite a nearly 45 percent surge in digital music sales last year, overall album sales in the U.S. still declined 9.5 percent, according to Nielsen SoundScan. (It counts ten digital tracks as an album). Some stats:

• There were 500 million CDs and other physical albums sold last year, and another 844 million digital tracks (or 84.4 million digital “albums”).
• That compares to 588 million digital tracks sold in 2006.
• Digital music accounted for 23 percent of all music sales in the U.S. last year.

Did we mention that the music industry needs to change its tune?

(Photo montage via Mr. Delgoff).