This represented a £12.8m rise in value at the same time as sales from CDs and DVDs fell by £8.7m. It's the first time growth online has been higher than the fall in revenue from physical sales.
But PRS for Music chief executive Robert Ashcroft says it remains too early to say whether this represented a turning point for the industry.
PRS released the figures as it said overall global revenues for its members totalled £623m last year, up from £608.3m in 2008. The organisation represents 65,000 UK songwriters, composers and music publishers.
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