Rolling in the downloads, but music sales fall

(Rex Features)

Sales of downloaded music albums jumped by a quarter last year and Adele's chart-topping 21 sold 3.8 million copies, more than any other album in Britain in a single calendar year – but neither phenomenon was enough to halt another overall decline in music sales.

Revenues from CDs, vinyl and downloaded albums fell by 5.6 per cent to £113.2m during 2011, the British Recorded Music Industry said. The record-breaking performance by Adele (pictured) was matched by buoyant US sales. Other big sellers in the UK included Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto and Jessie J's Who You Are.