2016 was a good year for the Norwegian music industry, with a 6.9% increase in total sales. The main reason for the sales growth is a clear increase of music streaming.
Despite the decline in physical sales, and also a decline in download sales, music was sold to a total of 698 million in 2016, compared to 653 million in the year before, said the trade organization, IFPI.
IFPI said that Norwegian artists had a good year, both in Norway, and abroad last year. The Norwegian electronica trio, Seeber were the second most streamed artists worldwide, while Alan Walker topped lists in both Norway and Sweden.
Meanwhile, Marcus & Martinus made a strong impact in our neighbouring countries.
Streaming from services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal, amounted to 83% of the market in 2016, up from 78% in 2015.
IFPI said in its annual report that music downloads accounted for only 4% of total music sales last year, while physical sales amounted to just over 13%.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
