Industry News

U.K. trade body the BPI is forecasting sales of "up to 20 million CDs" in its predictions for business across the Christmas period and the month of December as a whole.
 
Figures from the organization show that, over the past five years, the December U.K. market has accounted for an average 22% of annual album sales. Data from market research company Kantar's Worldpanel reveals that 51% of all CD album sales in the last quarter of 2010 were gift purchases. Further, 86% of all music bought in Q4 2010 was in the CD format.

The BPI's own research also revealed that in the 12 months ending September 2011, one in ten CD sales of the top 200 bestselling artist albums were deluxe or special editions, led by Michael Bublé's "Hollywood" edition of his multi-platinum Reprise/Warner Music set "Crazy Love."

Meanwhile, Amy Winehouse's "Lioness: Hidden Treasures" (Universal Island) is on course to top the OCC's artist album chart this weekend, currently standing at No. 1 in midweek data ahead of Bublé's "Christmas." Winehouse's posthumous album sold 96,000 units in its first two days on sale on Monday and Tuesday.