Brian
Older people to go digital
By SIMON ROTHSTEIN
Sun Online
THEY may prefer Il Divo and Tony Christie to the Arctic Monkeys and Arcade Fire - but the over-50s are set to join Britain's 'download revolution'.
A new survey by The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and Age Concern found that while only 4 cent of over-50s currently own an MP3 player, another 23 per cent intend to buy one in 2006.
The 'grey pound' is already a powerful force in British music - 24 per cent of all albums bought in 2004 were by those in the older age bracket.
BPI spokesman Matt Phillips said: "Legal music downloads may have taken off in a big way in 2005, but these figures underline the huge potential that still remains in digital music, particularly amongst older music fans.
"Album sales continue to grow in the UK, and older music buyers are clearly responsible for much of that growth.
"Nearly a quarter of all albums sold are bought by older music fans - and that percentage is set to grow as the UK population ages."
The British record industry has seen digital sales increase by 400 per cent in the last year, with the Internet credited for the commercial success of bands like the Arctic Monkeys - who topped the British singles chart in October.
The BPI's survey found that the most popular genre of music with the over-50s is classical, with easy listening and country close behind.
Radio 2 was named the most popular station in the research and the Top 10 artists are:
1. Il Divo
2. Rod Stewart
3. Tony Christie
4. Katherine Jenkins
5. G4
6. Ronan Keating
7. Phil Collins
8. Elvis Presley
9. Abba
10. Westlife
