US album sales fell once again in 2003, but there were some signs that the music industry could be pulling out of its long-running slump, retail tracker Nielsen SoundScan reported on Wednesday.
Sales of compact discs, which make up 96 percent of all sales, fell 2.1 percent to 635.8 million units. But the decline in 2002 was a much steeper 8.7 percent, the firm said.
The best-selling albums came from diverse acts, led by rapper 50 Cent, jazz singer Norah Jones and rock band Linkin Park.
For the last three months of the year, when many labels roll out their biggest releases, CD sales rose 5.6 percent from the year-ago period.
Overall music sales - including singles and increasingly popular online downloads - were up 10.5 percent for that period, Nielsen SoundScan said.
Battered by rampant piracy and competition from rival entertainment, such as video games, the record industry has endured three years of slumping sales.
But the recent success of Apple Computer Inc iTunes music store and Roxio Inc's revived Napster offering has prompted some industry watchers to suggest that the worst may be behind.
Sales of "current" albums - the lifeblood of the music industry - slipped just 1 percent in 2003.
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