Universal Music Group Reports 8.4% Growth In Digital Sales For 2009

French media conglomerate Vivendi this morning reported financial results, posting a decline in full-year profit but beating estimates because the net loss was much narrower than expected. You can read more analysis of the media and entertainment giant's performance elsewhere , but there was a particular passage in the press release regarding Vivendi's music subsidiary, Universal Music Group , that caught my eye. UMG, the world's largest music company with artists like U2, Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Black Eyed Peas, Rihanna, Eminem, Lil Wayne under contract, as expected finds its revenue from physical product sales (CDs) in a seemingly unstoppable decline. Last year, the company's revenues were €4,363 million, a 6.2% decrease compared to 2008. Still, Universal Music Group's digital sales grew 8.4% in 2009 , which the company attributed to strong growth in online sales yet "tempered by softening demand for mobile products in the United States and Japan".