Total Album Sales (physical + digital albums)

2009: 373.9 million

2008: 428.4 million

2007: 500.5 million

2006: 542.4 588.2 million [Corrected 10/30/2017. -ed.]

2005: 618.9 million

2004: 667 million

2003: 687 million

2002: 681 million

2001: 763 million

2000: 785 million

Sources: Billboard, USA Today, New York Times, Hollywood Reporter, CTV, BBC, WSJ.

Here’s a little more data…

Track equivalent albums (where 10 track downloads equal one album)

2009: 489.8 million

2008: 535.4 million

2007: 585 million

2006: 646.3 million

2005: 654.1 million

2004: 680.7 million

Compact Discs

2009: 294.9 million

2008: 360.6 million

2007: 449.2 million

2006: 553.4 million

2005: 598.9 million

2004: 651.1 million

2003: 635.8 million

2002: 649.5 million

2001: 712.0 million

2000: 730.0 million

Digital tracks

2009: 1.16 billion

2008: 1.07 billion

2007: 844.1 million

2006: 582 million

2005: 353 million

2004: 141 million

2003: 19.2 million (SoundScan monitored them only during the year’s second half)