Perhaps the oft-used ‘freefall’ deserves an asterisk. According to lagging data from the BPI, recording sales in Britain actually gained 1.4 percent in 2009, thanks to a quite solid fourth quarter. Overall revenues topped 928.8 million pounds ($1.44 billion) during the period, according to the stats, and digital surged 47.8 percent to 188.9 million pounds.

But physical continued to drop, specifically 6.1 percent to 787.8 million ($1.22 billion). That is nearly 85 percent of the total, evidence enough of a diversification need.

The gains create some political complications, especially given the hard-charging, three-strikes offensive from the British recording industry. Against that backdrop, the BPI offered some muted enthusiasm over the gains, and mostly kept the focus on an industry in distress. “2009′s modest result follows a five-year drop in annual income, and total industry income has not exceeded one billion pounds since 2006,” said BPI chief Geoff Taylor.