SoundScan midyear tally

FUN WITH NUMBERS, MIDYEAR EDITION: U.S. album sales are up at the midyear point for the first time since 2004, says SoundScan, which has year-to-date album sales at 155.5 million units, up nearly 1% from a year ago at this point. Digital track sales are up 10.6% to 660.8 million units, following a flat 2010, while the feel-good formula of albums including track-equivalent albums (TEA)—whereby 10 tracks equal one album unit—registers a 3.7% gain to 221.5 million units. Overall sales are up 8.7% to 817.7 million units versus 752.4 milllion units the first half of 2010. Catalog album sales were up 7.2% to 72.6 million units, but current albums were down 3.9% to 82.8 million units. CDs account for two-thirds of album sales at 66.4% . while digital albums account for nearly about 32.3%. But calculating with the TEA formula, digital sales account for 52.5%, besting CD albums, which account for 46.6%. (7/7a)