NEW YORK — Sales of gospel-music albums climbed 11.6 percent in the first half of 2006, compared to the same period in 2005 — the first time album sales have increased since 2002. In the six-month period ending July 2, 2006, gospel-music albums sold 17,952,000, compared to 16,085,000 for the same period in 2005, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Legal downloads made up a greater portion of the total music sales, according to Nielsen, with 502,000 albums downloaded in the first half of 2006, up from 191,000 albums downloaded in the first half of 2005.
The top-selling albums for the first half of 2006 were:
1. “Precious Memories” by Alan Jackson; 2. “Hero” by Kirk Franklin; 3. “Flyleaf” by Flyleaf; 4. “WoW Gospel 2006” by various artists; 5. “Lifesong” by Casting Crowns; 6. “A Piece of My Passion” by Juanita Bynum; 7. “Testify” by P.O.D.; 8. “WoW Hits 2006” by various artists; 9. “Coming Up to Breathe” by MercyMe; 10. “Wherever You Are” by Third Day.
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