Photo: WENN.com
Sales of David Bowie's back catalogue have soared following the release of his first new single in ten years.
Yesterday fans were surprised when 'Where Are We Now' appeared online, giving them their first taste of new material since 2003's Reality album.
Within hours of the track's appearance online, and the announcement of a new album The Next Day, the icon's greatest hits collection The Best of Bowie climbed to No.5 in the iTunes chart.
'Where Are We Now' is currently number one in the iTunes UK singles chart.
"The thing with Bowie, as with any chart icon, is that when people are reminded of the brilliance of his music, they want to listen to it again," HMV's Gennaro Castaldo told Contact Music.
"And alongside his original followers still enjoying his albums on CD and vinyl, his songs are now just a download away for a while new internet generation of potential fans that are out there, so we can expect and explosion of interest in 2013.
"Classic albums such as Hunky Dory and Aloaddin Sane and particularly his greatest hits continue to sell well and there was a noticable recent boost after Heroes was selected to accompany the entry of Team GB into the Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Games."
Bowie performing on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
Bowie has kept a relatively low profile since 2003, with no new releases and few public appearances.
Many fans had taken this as indication that Bowie's apparent retirement was a permanent one, and that no further new material would be released.
But the release of 'Where Are We Now' and the announcement of The Next Day prove the 66-year-old still has more to give.
The March release of The Next Day will coincide with a Bowie retrospective at the V&A museum in London, and the combination of the two is likely to see sales of his records continue to rise.
The Next Day will be Bowie's 24th studio album, in a career that's spanned six decades, so both new fans and returning devotees will have plenty to choose from as they (re)acquaint themselves with the musician.
Below: all the facts on Bowie's new album The Next Day
