Apple's online iTunes Music Store sold more music than three major music retailers from July through September, claiming the number seven spot among U.S. music sellers.
According to new market research from the NPD Group, Apple’s iTunes Music Store sold more music from July to September than Sam Goody, Borders, and Tower Records, making it seventh ranked music retailer in the U.S.
The rankings are based on the number of units sold, assuming an average of 12 tracks per album to put sales of singles and roughly on par with physical CD sales through other outlets. The findings mark the first time iTunes as cracked the top ten music sellers; for the same period a year ago, it was ranked fourteenth.
Russ Crupnick, music and movies industry analyst for The NPD Group, said “With the growing interest in digital music, forecasts of more iPod demand this holiday, plus the stocking-stuffer appeal of iTunes gift cards, we can expect Apple to increase its share even more by year’s end.”
Wal-Mart retained its top placement among music retailers, as did followers Best Buy, Target, and Amazon.com. FYE (For Your Entertainment) made a big jump, moving from number ten in the same period a year ago to number five, while Circuit City claimed the number six spot.
