Digital delivery of music . caught up with physical formats like CDs as a money stream for . the first time last year , the trade association IFPI said on . Tuesday . It came , however , as overall global sales of $ 14.97 billion . fell marginally from 2013 . The report also named the year 's top-selling album - the 'Frozen ' soundtrack , which sold 10 million copies , while Pharrell Williams ' 'Happy ' was the top single , selling 13.9 million copies . Taylor Swift famously removed her music from Spotify . Digital formats have now caught up with physical sales of music for the first time . Piracy and free Internet sites remain a huge problem for anindustry still reeling from the impact of turning music intodigital form , which encouraged copying , bootlegs and free musicsites , and led to a collapse in sales from $ 40 billion in 1999 . IFPI , the International Federation of the Phonographic . Industry , said in an annual report , that while revenues were . down 0.4 percent in 2014 from the previous year , digital . formats , including streaming and downloads , had finally caught . up with physical formats , with each accounting for about 46. percent of the market . The vinyl format has had a renaissance and now accounts for 2 percent of revenues . Performance rights and film and related . revenues made up the balance . 'We have overall a positive picture , with the biggest . market , the U.S. , growing and the third biggest market in the . world , Germany , growing as well , ' Edgar Berger , chairman and . CEO international of Sony Music Entertainment , said at a news . conference . 'If we keep the current trajectory the industry will . inevitably grow , ' he said , adding his view that paid . subscriptions to streaming services 'will be the predominant . performer ' . But the IFPI also noted some dark clouds ahead for the . industry , including the impact of free delivery of music over . Internet sites such as YouTube and dailymotion.com , and the . desire of Chinese consumers to get their music for free . The industry group said it was pushing for legal changes to . be made in Europe , and eventually elsewhere , so that YouTube , . dailymotion and others could no longer contend they are 'safe . harbours ' , immune from copyright violation because users post . music and other content themselves . Jay-Z and a host of celebrities recently launched Tidal in a bid to make more money from streaming services . 'Companies that play the role of distributing , monetising , . promoting do n't belong in the 'safe harbours ' , ' IFPI chief . executive Frances Moore said . She noted that streaming sites such as Spotify and Deezer . which pay the industry for music rights had contributed some . $ 1.6 billion in revenues on the basis of having about 140. million users while the free Internet sites , with a billion . users , paid something over $ 641 million . Berger said there was a ' a piracy issue that needs to be . fought in China ' , adding without piracy instead of ranking in . 19th place globally for music revenues , it would be in the top . five . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article .
Digital sales of music caught up with physical formats like CDs . Overall global sales of $ 1 billion fell marginally from 2013 . Massive sales problems in China one of biggest problems facing industry . digital records now account for 80 % of sales .