Music Industry Grows First Time in a Decade on Digital Adele

The worldwide recorded music industry’s revenue grew 0.3 percent to $16.5 billion last year, the first increase in more than decade, as more people downloaded music and used online streaming sites.

Adele’s “21” was the best-selling album and Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” was the best-selling single, an industry group representing music labels said in a statement today. Digital sales rose 9 percent to $5.6 billion and now account for about 34 percent of total revenue, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.

The improvement is welcome for an industry battered by piracy, the shuttering of record shops and declining sales of CDs. Digital sales of music now account for the majority of record companies’ revenue in countries including the U.S., Norway, Sweden and India, the IFPI said.

“These are hard-won successes for an industry that has innovated, battled and transformed itself over a decade,” said Frances Moore, chief executive officer at IFPI. “They show how the music industry has adapted to the Internet world, learned how to meet the needs of consumers and monetized the digital marketplace.”

Streaming Music

Major services for downloading and streaming music have proliferated and are now available in more than 100 markets, while subscribers to online music services increased 44 percent to an estimated 20 million in 2012, the group said. The European digital market grew faster than average at about 20 percent in 2012, the IFPI said.

Still, the industry has a problem with unlicensed music services using tracks without permission. To halt such sites, Internet service providers, search engines and advertisers need to cooperate, the IFPI said.

The number of people using illegal music-file sharing dropped by 17 percent last year as more streaming services became free to use, according to research from New York-based NPD Group. The practice peaked in 2005 when one in five Internet users over the age of 13 accessed illegal file-sharing sites to download music, the group said. The figure is now 11 percent.

“For the music industry, which has been battling digital piracy for over a decade, last year was a year of progress,” said Russ Crupnick, senior vice president of industry analysis at NPD. “Among other factors, the increased use of legal and licensed streaming services has proven to be an alternative for music fans.”

The IFPI also reported today that British songwriter Adele’s “21” was the first album to top the global chart for two consecutive years since the IFPI began reporting worldwide best-sellers in 2001. Taylor Swift’s album “Red” took second place last year, followed by One Direction’s “‘Up All Night.”

One Direction had two of the top 10 albums of the year and Maroon 5 and Flo Rida each had two songs in the top 10 singles.

To contact the reporter on this story: Kristen Schweizer in London atkschweizer1@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Kenneth Wong at kwong11@bloomberg.net.

The key to the creator is your heart.

"Judge nothing, you will be happy.
Forgive everything, you will be happier.
Love everything, you will be happiest." ~Sri Chinmoy

Your heart speaks the truth. It's as simple and sacred as this. No one knows your heart better than you do. Your heart speaks to you every day in the language of love.

It speaks to you with kindness and hope. It never speaks of fear and doubt, and it will never betray you. Your heart honors you, and when you listen to the guidance of your heart, your peace and happiness is restored.

Your heart holds the key to your life. Your dreams, wishes and desires are all imbedded in your heart. Whom your heart choses to love, your life's work and your purpose all reside in your heart.

We spend so much of our energy looking outside of ourselves for answers and solutions. We believe that someone else has the answer; that they are experts, and they know more than we do. Granted, there are people who are leaders in their respective fields who can offer expert advice; however, when it comes to what is right for you, your heart has the answer -- if you simply quiet your mind long enough to hear it.

We spend our lives trying to live up to others' expectations of who we are meant to be. This is a betrayal of your inner truth. Who you really are is not defined by the external world but by your internal sanctuary.

Deep within you lies the very essence of love, strength and joy. To trust your inner self is to trust your heart. It does not mean that you will not make mistakes or make a wrong turn; this is all part of your heart's journey. If you trust and embrace the journey, your heart will get you back on the right path.

In my practice with my clients, I work from the perspective that each client has all the internal resources they need inside of them to make changes in their lives. I provide the space for them to come to the realization of their own inner power and strength.

I have found the most significant shifts are always heart-based. When the light shines on the darkness they have been feeling, a lightness of being occurs. The heart opens up like a flower, ready to be nurtured with love and care. Trusting in their hearts and themselves is pivotal in living a joyous and peaceful life.

Through my own journey, I have come to realize that life is not about pain and punishment. The essence of life is about joy, happiness and love. This can only occur if you trust and look after your heart.

Your heart's energy can be felt from a distance. What you radiate out into the world can be felt by other people's hearts. Whether you come from a loving space or a fearful space, your heart's energy is constantly emitting a vibration.

Imagine this, for just a moment: you're stressed constantly, you live with fear and sadness and feel suffocated due to the economic downturn. You work a job you hate but stay at it due to your mortgage and mounting bills, or perhaps you are in a relationship that does not nurture your heart. You doubt yourself; you seek refuge in anything that will numb your feelings of inadequacy and loss of freedom. You think that you are stuck in this way of living because your mind tells you it's too hard to change things. Other people reinforce the idea that it's difficult to change the circumstances of your life based on their life experience. The unfortunate truth is that this is not just a made-up story but a reality that many people experience.

There is a way out of this, and each of us have the answer within. You are the creator of your life. You have the means to make or break your life. You hold the key to your freedom and happiness. You have the ability to free yourself; no matter what stage of life you are in, it's never too late to change the situations that you have created. All it takes is trust in your heart, because it knows what is right for you. Our heart deserves the best gift from us; it is asking to be heard and revered.

Take a moment now and sit in silence, close your eyes and focus on your heart. Feel the warm energy of love coming from your heart. You can place your hand over your heart as it may help you to connect more easily. Take a few deep breaths, and when you're ready, ask your heart whatever question you need an answer to. Be patient for the response as it may take some time. The answer may not come to you here and now, but it could come much later when you are involved in another activity.

What comes through may surprise you. It may not make sense to your logical mind, however, you can trust it. You will learn that your heart will lead you right where you need to go.

Often the answer comes in a form of a feeling. This is your heart communicating with you; it is your real self telling you something, and it comes from a deeper place within you.

We can all think, believe and know things. The moment you feel you are communicating with your inner being -- your heart -- which is expressing itself in the form of a feeling.

In a world that is dominated with boundless data, information overload and the fast pace of life, it is much harder for us to stop for a moment and to really listen to what our heart is telling us.

The answer is not outside of ourselves. Rather, our heart and inner being hold the key. Think about this: your fear, doubt and stress have been created from the inside out. You may think that your external environment is responsible, but this is not the case. Events have occurred, but how you react and feel is an inside job. Your feelings are telling you something. They are revealing to you what you need to take care of, and by listening to your heart and following what feels right you will find your equilibrium again.

What is exuded from your heart is simple and timeless. A light feeling in your heart is your indicator to follow through as your heart is happy and at peace. A heavy feeling in your heart is your indicator that the decision or thought does not align with what is true for you.

Your heart wants only the best for you. It is up to you to trust your beautiful heart because it ultimately means that you are trusting yourself. By trusting your heart, you are validating your inner voice, affirming that you have the answer to what is best for you. Treasure your heart and treasure yourself. Know that you hold the key to your happiness and joy; no one can give it or take it away from you. It's been with you all along, and it resides in your heart.

Let the magic of your heart guide you towards love, joy and happiness.

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