Adele, Taylor Swift soar as US digital music sales sing

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Music sales in the United States hit a new high in 2012 powered by demand for digital downloads, according to figures released on Friday by industry tracker Nielsen.

The overall number of purchases - music videos, single tracks, or albums - topped 1.66 billion in a 3.1 per cent climb from a record set in the year 2011, according to Nielsen senior vice-president David Bakula.

The gain was "driven by digital music sales, which continue be a key growth element within the market", Mr Bakula said.

Sales of digital albums jumped 14.1 per cent and track sales were up 5.1 per cent.