The IFPI also reported that countries which have the least stringent protection from music piracy, such as Spain and Canada, registered the most serious falls in official music sales. Improvements in anti-piracy measures in countries such as Sweden and South Korea saw music sales rise by around 10% in the past year, it added. In a number of markets, digital sales rocketed by up to 40%. The IFPI also reported that live music sales around the world grew by 3% during 2009, but this represented a slowdown in comparison with the previous three years.
Show News - LIGHTFAIR International (LFI) is poised for "another stellar year" say the organisers of next week's event. Boasting more than 160,000sq.ft of exhibit space, the trade show floor is the largest in LFI's Las Vegas history. A crucial component to the show and one of the industry's foremost topics of interest, the Building Integration Pavilion will spotlight companies with enterprise system technologies used to optimise and form energy-efficient buildings.
In The Sale Room - John Lennon's handwritten lyrics to the Beatles song A Day in the Life are expected to make up to $700,000 (£460,000) at auction. The double-sided sheet of paper with notes written in felt marker and blue ink will go under the hammer at a sale in New York on 18 June. The lyric sheet also contains some corrections and some other notes penned in red ink. The song is the final track on the band's 1967 Sgt Pepper album. The BBC banned airplay of the track in 1967 because of the lyric 'I'd like to turn you on', which was interpreted as a reference to drug use. According to Sotheby's, the current record for the sale of Beatles lyrics is All You Need Is Love, which fetched $1m (£655,450) in 2005.
Under The Influence - Lady Gaga is among the celebrities who "most affect our world", according to a list published by Time magazine. The eccentric pop star was called "an inspiration to other artists" in an appraisal written by singer Cyndi Lauper in the US publication.
(Jim Evans)
