The number of album sales fell in 2009, despite being buoyed by digital downloads.

According to the latest figures from the BPI, sales of music albums in the UK continued to fall last year, despite a strong growth in digital downloads.

Overall album sales fell by 3.5% during 2009 to 128.9 million. This is the fifth consecutive year that the number has fallen.

The drop was however eased by the increasing popularity of music downloads. Album downloads enjoyed a 56.1% increase in 2009, compared with a year earlier. 16.1m albums were downloaded legally over the year – almost 12.5% of the entire album market.

New releases from popular artists in 2009 such as Michael Buble, Lady Gaga and Susan Boyle also sustained the UK album market.

The music single market has now almost been monopolised by digital download. Last year, 98% of singles purchased were in digital formats – approximately 149.7m songs.

Geoff Taylor, BPI Chief Executive, said: “As the way in which consumers find and purchase music continues to evolve, it is vital that music companies can continue to invest in new artists and support new digital services.

“Despite difficult trading conditions and the ever-present competition from illegal downloading, UK music sales remained relatively resilient during 2009. While sales of physical CDs continue to trend downwards, music fans are clearly responding to the explosive growth of digital retailers and outlets selling and streaming music in the UK.”

2009 was a difficult year for the entertainment industry, with the collapse of retailers Zavvi and Woolworths casting doubt on the sustainability of the market.

Kim Bayley, Director General of the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), said: “2009 started on a low note after the collapse of Woolworths and Zavvi, but entertainment retailers across the board worked with their suppliers to end the year with a far better result than anyone had expected.”