Midyear Music Biz Report Card

Despite blockbuster debuts from Lil Wayne and Coldplay, the record industry is facing its fourth year in a row of declining sales. At midyear, sales of physical CDs were down 16.3 percent, according to Nielsen SoundScan. And while sales of digital tracks are still increasing, the rate of growth has slowed from 48 percent in mid-2007 to 30 percent this year. Meanwhile, the touring industry managed to hold steady in a sagging economy: Led by hit tours from Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen and Van Halen, the concert biz precisely matched its midyear 2007 gross of $1.05 billion, according to Pollstar. And while hip-hop has not traditionally fared well on the road, Kanye West and Jay-Z showed that elaborate hip-hop tours are capable of bringing fans to arenas.