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UK legal downloads hit half a million

Music biz not dead then

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Half a million songs have been legally downloaded so far this year in the UK, according to figures come from the Official UK Chart Company (OCC) - a joint venture between the British Association of Record Dealers and the BPI (British Phonographic Industry).

Top seller was Coldplay's 2,000 miles and at number two OutKast's Hey Ya.

The download chart is in the final stages of testing before launching later this summer. It collects data from various sources including Oxfam's bignoisemusic.com. Napster will join the service soon.

Peter Jamieson, BPI chairman, said: "We have yet another milestone in the development of this exciting new market for music. Invesotrare are showing confidence in the future of music... This is shaping up to be a breakthrough year for the music industry."

The OCC launched a chart for mobile ringtones earlier this week. ®

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