We’re apparently spending more on music than any time since the CD era – but the calculation methods are archaic, and don’t reflect the low incomes for many artists

• News: UK music sales hit record high as Taylor Swift tops album sellers

If the record business has learned anything during those brutal years between 2000 and 2014 when the CD market wobbled and then went into such sharp decline that it halved, it is to seek out good news stories wherever you can.

The Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), the UK trade body for music, video and games retailers, has just issued its numbers for recorded music revenues in 2024. The sell is that this marks “a 20-year high and an all-time record, exceeding the pinnacle of the CD era”. Let joy be unconfined. Bonuses all round.