UK Album Sales Reach New High

Album sales in the UK rose by 7.6% in 2003 to a record high, fuelled by falling CD prices – in spite of piracy fears, according to an industry report. Almost 121 million artist albums, which exclude compilations, were sold – according to Official UK Charts Company figures quoted in Music Week magazine. The top five albums of 2003 included Dido’s ‘Life For Rent’ at #1, *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake’s ‘Justified’ at #2, Christina Aguilera’s ‘Stripped’ at #3, Daniel Bedingfield’s ‘Gotta Get Thru This’ at #4, and Norah Jones’ ‘Come Away With Me’ at #5.