Researchers at GfK say mobile music downloads reached a record high in May, hitting 1.72 million downloads. Downloads have exceeded 1.5 million every month this year, with April and May both showing a 21% year-on-year increase.
However, the company points out that 31% of tracks downloaded in May were purchased via a subscription service, which means that the increase in sales volume isn’t directly connected to an increase in revenue. Despite this, May’s sales were calculated to be worth £2.36 million. GfK also says subscriptions are encouraging consumers to try unfamiliar music, with over 70,000 titles downloaded just once in May. [News release]