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| Singer Taylor Swift performs onstage during KIIS FM's Jingle Ball 2014 powered by LINE at Staples Center on December 5, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. Jason Merritt/Getty Images |
Nick Patch The Canadian Press
Taylor Swift’s “1989” ruled 2014 in Canada, but overall album sales were down five per cent, according to a year-end report from Nielsen Music Canada.
Swift’s pop makeover sold 314,000 units, besting the “Frozen” soundtrack’s 226,000 units sold and Sam Smith’s “In the Lonely Hour,” which moved 157,000 copies.
Bobby Bazini’s “Where I Belong” was the top-selling album by a Canadian artist with 102,000 copies sold, followed by Serge Fiori’s self-titled effort (99,000 units) and Fred Pellerin’s “Plus tard qu’on pense” (79,000).
Sales of physical CDs decreased seven per cent and digital album sales went down by five per cent.
On the bright side for industry observers, vinyl’s resurgence continued in the form of a 71 per cent year-over-year change, with Arctic Monkeys’ “AM” standing as Canada’s most-bought LP of the year.
By genre, R&B sales were hit the hardest with a 28 per cent overall decrease, followed by rap music (down 23 per cent), classical (22 per cent) and alternative (14 per cent).