Lewis Capaldi is Britain's biggest-selling music artist as streaming breaks 100 billion barrier for first time
Video report by ITV News Correspondent Sue Saville
More than 100 billion music tracks were played on streaming services for the first time in a single year during 2019 - but fans still also love the enduring appeal of old style vinyl and cassettes.
The equivalent of 154 million albums were either streamed, purchased on physical formats or downloaded – up by 7.5 per cent in volume on the total recorded in 2018.
This is the highest amount since 2006, when the figure stood at 161.4m albums.
The most-streamed track of 2019 - Lewis Capaldi's Someone You Loved - was played over 228 million times on audio streaming services.
Other artists making the year end top 10 included Lil Nas X, Ed Sheeran, Stormzy and Billie Eilish, while singer-songwriter Tones and I enjoyed an 11-week run at the top of the Official Singles Chart with her global smash Dance Monkey - the longest run by a female singer in Official Charts history.
Last year's total of 114 billion plays on audio streaming services marks the first time the 100 billion landmark has been surpassed in a single year, figures from the British Phonographic Industry show.
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The continued growth in streaming, which rose by 26 per cent on the year, underpinned this rise in consumption.
Streaming now accounts for three quarters (74.4%) of Album Equivalent Sales (AES), the metric used by the industry to collectively measure music streaming and purchasing.
December saw the highest weekly total of streams – 2.7bn – ever recorded.
But it's not just streaming that is booming. Robbie Williams's latest album has helped cassette sales to hit a 15-year high.
The singer's latest offering, The Christmas Present, was the fastest-selling cassette album since Now 52 in July 2002.
Releases by Billie Eilish, Lana Del Rey, Kylie Minogue and Madonna also did well on the format this year, according to the BPI.
Cassette sales still only account for just 0.1% of overall recorded music consumption, but demand has increased for seven consecutive years, and the 2019 sales tally of 80,404 purchases is the biggest annual total recorded in 15 years (99,636 were sold in 2004).
Growth also continued for vinyl, with 4.3 million LPs sold, the biggest total this century.
Geoff Taylor, Chief Executive BPI &BRIT Awards said: “British music proved once again in 2019 that it has a bright future.
"Strong demand for streaming music and vinyl, fuelled by the investment and innovation of UK labels in discovering and promoting new talent, boosted music consumption to levels not seen for 15 years."
Mr Taylor said there was more of a need than ever for artists to be paid fairly for the music they produce - and to tackle illegal downloading.
Vanessa Higgins, CEO Regent Street Records, and an independent member of BPI Council,said: “As an independent label owner I would always encourage music lovers to stream their favourite artists, as it’s such an easy way to support the smaller musicians.
"It’s also wonderful to see the continued growth of vinyl and the resurrection of the cassette, which shows fans still love a physical, tangible music artefact in their hands.
"Personally, I would love to see a rebirth in the British manufacture of these products, supported by modern technology and government, to match the rediscovered UK physical market and the untapped potential that still lies there.”