London - Global digital music sales leapt 40% in 2007, to $2.9 billion, but declining CD sales pushed the overall market down 10% for the year, according to a report issued Thursday by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). The group said that digital music sales now account for 15% of the global music market, up from 11% in 2006 and zero in 2003.

Single track downloads grew by 53% to 1.7 billion.

The IFPI also said that "tens of billions" of songs were illegally downloaded in 2007, and that the ratio of unlicensed tracks downloaded to legal tracks sold was about 20 to 1.

The trade organization called on Internet service providers (ISPs) to disconnect file-swappers and install filters, and pointed to recent actions along those lines taken by France's president, Nicholas Sarkozy.

"There is only one acceptable moment for ISPs to start taking responsibility for protecting content -- and that moment is now. After years of prevarication in the discussion, the French government's decision to seize the day is deeply refreshing," said IFPI chairman and CEO John Kennedy.

A spokesman for an ISP trade group in the U.K. body told Reuters that his group was holding talks on such matters, but said ISPs cautioned against rigid legislation, preferring self regulation instead.

Related Links:
http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_resources/dmr2008.html

http://snipurl.com/1y61f (Reuters)