~ PlusNet research reveals UK consumers still want to keep their pop music physical ~

UK consumers believe CDs will be around for at least another decade, despite record demand for downloads and falling CD sales.

A survey of 648 people by ISP PlusNet revealed almost half of those questioned (48 per cent) believe it will be at least ten years before the CD becomes obsolete. A further 28 per cent reckon CDs still have a good five years to go and 10 per cent think the medium will be around forever.

Music downloads in the UK hit a record 2.94m in the last week of 2007, double the level of 2006, according to BPI figures. At the same time, CD album sales plummeted 10 per cent over 2007, although sales remain 26 per cent higher than a decade ago.

PlusNet predicts a rapid growth in traffic to download sites following the recent high profile cuts in download charges to bring the UK back in line with the rest of Europe, combined with the growing popularity of MP3 players and digital music.

"Downloading music from the internet has become a huge activity in the UK – however, our research proves that people still love their CD collection," said Neil Armstrong, products director, PlusNet. "Music fans are rapidly embracing the on-demand nature of downloads, and this will continue to increase as prices drop and competition between download sites grows. Clearly, though, there’s still life in the CD yet."