UK gig royalties beat CD income

Duffy's Rockferry is the biggest-selling album of 2008 so far in the UK

UK songwriters' income from CD sales is expected to fall by 15% this year, and will be beaten by concert performances, industry estimates suggest.

The sum generated by physical albums will be about £131m, down from £152m, the MCPS-PRS Alliance has predicted.

But royalties from concerts and music aired in public is expected to be £143m - the first time it has beaten CDs since discs became widely available.

Money from TV, radio and online is also due to exceed the CD figure.

Broadcast royalties are forecast to reach £173m, according to the organisation, which represents 60,000 songwriters, composers and publishers.

This will be the second year that UK-based songwriters have made more money from their tunes being heard on air and online than from physical sales.

"CD sales have been falling steadily since 2006 and this is no longer the number one income source for songwriters," said Steve Porter, the chief executive of the Performing Right Society (PRS).

"Online revenues are growing but not by the same amount. Our job is to ensure the songwriters, composers and music publishers still get the money they're owed, wherever it's used."