NPD: Apple iTunes Now 66 Percent of the Digital Music Sales

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Apple’s iTunes continues to dominate digital music sales, gaining three percent compared to last year and comprising 66 percent of the market, according to news reports. Amazon, Apple’s closest competitor, with just 13 percent of digital music purchases, tied Walmart, which relinquished first place to the Cupertino, Calif. firm in 2008.

The week-to-week struggle for digital music domination is even more cut-throat, according to the Wall Street Journal. Record label insiders told the newspaper Amazon holds on to just six to 10 percent of digital sales each week with Apple cruising along at near 90 percent of the market.


An attempt by Amazon to break Apple’s stranglehold on digital music sales appears not to be making a dent. Although the Seattle-based Internet retailer offers “daily deals” for digital albums priced as low as $3.99, Amazon pays around $7 to $8 per album wholesale. The tactic gained Amazon just two percent of the market, rising from 11 percent to 13 percent, according to retail sales researcher NPD.

[AppleInsider, 9to5 Mac]

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