David Bowie's new single has caused a resurgence for his older stuff, as fans of his set to remind themselves of the masterful collection he put out over a career spanning six decades. And he's still going.

Within hours of the single, Where Are We Now being on the net, and the announcement of The Next Day - Bowies first musical peep for 10 years; the new album set for March - The Best of Bowie shot to 5th in the iTunes charts. It currently sits 4th.

Gennaro Castaldo of entertainment retailer HMV said: "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, and alongside his original followers still enjoying his albums on CD and vinyl, his songs are now just a download away for a whole new internet generation of potential fans that are out there, so we can expect an explosion of interest in 2013.

"Classic albums such as Hunky Dory and Aladdin Sane and particularly his greatest hits continue to sell well and there was a noticeable recent boost after Heroes was selected to accompany the entry of Team GB into the Olympics Stadium for the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Games.

"With the forthcoming Bowie retrospective at the V&A we expected sales of his catalogue to pick up significantly anyway, but with a new album due in March demand should really increase."