Marginal German Growth

The BVMI will publish full details of the survey in March.

After five years of shrinking, early estimates indicate revenues from sales of physical and digital recordings and streaming services have increased by 1 percent to euro 1.45 billion ($1.96 billion).

The digital market has grown by about 12 percent, with physical sales growing by only 2 percent.

The figures show BVMI chief exec Stefan Michalk made an accurate prediction in 2009.

He said it would take four or five years before the increase in digital sales would compensate for the fall in physical sales.