iTunes Becomes Number 3 Online Music Retailer
Did EMI’s DRM-Free Tracks Make The Difference?
Apple’s iTunes online music store was named the third-largest overall music retailer in the United States according to The NPD Group. The new ranking allow iTunes to jump ahead of Amazon.com and Target Corp. in units sold.
ITunes had a 9.8 percent market share in the first quarter, ranking behind Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s 15.8 percent and Best Buy Co.’s 13.8 percent, according to NPD. Online retailer Amazon.com’s share was 6.7 percent, slightly ahead of Target’s 6.6 percent. The firm counted every 12 tracks purchased online as equivalent to an album in compact disc format, said Russ Crupnick, NPD’s vice president.
In all, 212 million albums have been sold so far this year, down about 16 percent compared to the year-ago period, according to Nielsen SoundScan, which tracks sales at the retailers compared with NPD’s survey of consumers. Sales of digital tracks, meanwhile, are up 49 percent over the same period, according to the firm. However, digital music represented less than a quarter of total music units sold during the period.
