Apple sells 25% of music in the US, none of which is AC/DC
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted August 19th 2009 5:13PM
posted August 19th 2009 5:13PM
According to the number crunchers at NPD Group, the trend that came to a head last year when Apple beat out Wal-Mart for the title of largest Stateside music retailer is continuing apace. That's right -- one in four songs sold in America is sold on iTunes, while Wal-Mart (including CD sales through retail stores, sales through their website, and Wal-Mart Music Downloads) holds the number two position at 14 percent. And number three, if you're morbidly curious, is Best Buy. In addition, 69% of all digital music sold in the US comes from the iTunes store, with Amazon ranking second at 8 percent. When talking formats, the CD remains the most popular at 65 percent, but as some dude named Russ Crupnick (NPD's vice president of entertainment industry analysis) notes, "with digital music sales growing at 15 to 20 percent, and CDs falling by an equal proportion, digital music sales will nearly equal CD sales by the end of 2010." Which can only be a good thing, if it means that we'll never have to step into a Wal-Mart again. Sales of ringtones and sales to consumers under 13 were not tabulated, which means the data may incorrectly skew away from purchases of The Wiggles' Go Bananas! and that Crazy Frog song.
[Via TUAW]
[Via TUAW]
Who the hell BUYS files? Just go out and buy a goddamn physical album. It's way friggin' better. And if price is a dilemma then buy albums off amazon. Theres alot of albums you can get for 6 bucks!
What's wrong with digital album? Are you one of those old mans still carrying
CD backpacks when you travel? LOL
>> "Who the hell BUYS files? Just go out and buy a goddamn physical album."
Do you realize how much easier it is to have a server full of files than shipping a copy of *every* CD ever made to *every* store in the world?
Between iTunes and Amazon... I can pretty much find ANY song I'd ever want to buy. No retail store can do that...
Bobby:
There is nothing wrong with a digital album but when you can guy the ACTUAL album for the same price as the mp3 version, only the STUPID will buy the mp3 version. You do know that mp3 albums are watered down by 5-10 times what the size of a song on an actual disc is don't you? At least with the actual album one can rip at their own codec and have an actual hard copy to boot. All of my albums are in digital format for my iPods and iPhone but try playing an mp3 on a super nice stereo system...it doesn't even come close to the sound quality of the real CD.
@Trent >> "There is nothing wrong with a digital album but when you can guy the ACTUAL album for the same price as the mp3 version, only the STUPID will buy the mp3 version."
This argument goes away if you only want ONE song.
There are times when I just want one song... not 3 songs or 5 songs from the same album. I don't want to "explore" what else is on the CD or what else the band has done... I only want to spend the dollar for the one song.
You're right though... if you *do* want the entire album, then you should buy the CD... especially if it's the same price as the digital-only album.
But, we're in the culture of singles now... and people are more likely to spend $1 for the one song they do want... instead of spending more money for more songs they don't want.
@Trent
Welcome to the world of "On Demand". This is the reason why I used iTunes rather than buying physical CD. If I want to buy a song or album then in about a minute I can do so. I'm damned if I can tell the difference between a CD and AAC file so the quality argument means nothing to me (sorry). Why I'd want to clutter up my house with CD cases is quite beyond me - I'd rather use the space that they take up with books.
If Apple can ever close on their long, long, long negotiated deal for the Beatles catalog and McCartney's Wings material, that number could easily jump to 40 or 50 percent for a time. With MJ's death, I actually expect that to happen sooner than later. It will allow a huge revenue stream to his estate to pay off all of his debts once and for all.
Pirate Bay (R.I.P) Sells ; ) the rest
Another fantastic achievement by Apple and team. A round of applause for the hard work and Apples amazing innovative work that has made digital content delivery incredibly easy that the buying public has accepted the format wholeheartedly. Hard work, real earnings, real reason for the iPod/iTunes/iPhone ecosystem to exist. Unlike the Microsofts failed imitation called the Zune and its silly marketplace. Zune and its accompanying "marketplace" sounds like a veggie cart in the middle of the bazaar back in mediaeval days.
There is just no reasoning with you. You are devoid of logic. You have got to be Engadget's biggest Apple fanboy, because it's obviously not the product that hooked you.
As a consumer you should be rooting for the Microsoft Zune and ALL competing products, as those are what push TRUE innovation from all companies, as well as lower prices on all fronts.
Your idea is that the Zune is a copy of the iPod because it's a PMP with similar features. That means the first iPod is a copy of the Diamond Multimedia Rio- the first commercially available portable MP3 player, and the iPod Touch is a "me too" of Archos's lines of PMPs. I seriously want a legit response out of you on that. I would love to believe that you have a brain and you're capable of conscious thought, but you have done nothing but dig yourself in a hole with all your irrelevant responses to legitimate arguments.
Obviously not, Jubei, otherwise I would have enjoyed my iPods much more than I did. iTunes blows next to the Zune software- personal experience tells me this. It also tells me that all my iPods sucked in build quality compared to my Zunes. You like to bag on the Xbox 360's quality, well you have no room to talk with the way you back the iPod so much. I wonder how many replacement iPods have been sold due to manufacturer defect? How much you wanna' bet that percentage is higher than 360's sold for replacement? iPhones/iPod Touches cases cracking or popping apart, click wheels not working, screens dying. All frequent occurrences for the iPod. What problems has the Zune had? The Zune is built like a rock compared to the iPod.
I don't care how anyone wants to spin the Zune's reception- it went from 0% to 10% market share in only two years, which is higher than Apple's computer market share of 8%.
You like to talk shit but you can't back it up- rather, you bring up irrelevant articles based on subjects we weren't ever talking about. My satisfaction with the Zune is 100%, can't say it's the same for my iPods, and the whole ecosystem crap doesn't work when the computers you sell suck in comparison to my 2 year old desktop with a superior operating system.
You have also, yet again dodged my questions. In your head, the Zune is a copy of the iPod, simply because it's a direct competitor and has similar features. How is that different than when the iPod first launched? Apple very clearly didn't come up with the idea for a portable music player- there were a couple companies out there already doing that, and what about the iPhone? There were already touch screen phones out there, so the iPhone must be a copy, and the iPod Touch/iPhone are also copies of Archos's lines of PMPs. Just another "me too" attempt from Apple that succeeded only because of marketing and spin.
Again, dodging the questions, and bringing up irrelevant topics. That drop in sales doesn't remove from the fact that the Zune holds 10% of the market, nor does it detract from the quality of the product and it's software or the user satisfaction.
So, back to the questions, is the iPhone or iPod Touch a copy cat of all previous touch screen phones or touch screen PMPs? By your way of thinking regarding the Zune and the iPod, yes, the iPhone and iPod Touch are copy cats, and the original iPods were "me too" devices of the Diamond Multimedia Rio. Tell me I'm wrong and give me some evidence showing such... Then again, you're just going to "me too" all your other posts and copy what you previously posted disregarding the fact that it's completely irrelevant to the topic at hand. If you've ever debated anyone in person, Jubei, I can almost guarantee you lost.
@Jubei
Seriously, what was the point of those final 2 sentences? Up until that point I was in full agreement with you but why you feel the need to troll is quite beyond me. It's a shame because you effectively invalidated the rest of your comment.
Ok, so you've proven that you don't want to stick to the topic, you can't answer simple questions, and you can't see the ignorance in your "me too" and "copy cat" comments.
The Zune is far from a failure. If the Zune is a failure, then the Apple Mac computer is a failure.
"Apple's share of the US computer market fell to 8 percent during the fourth calendar quarter of 2008 from 9.5 percent in the third as the Mac maker surrendered its third place ranking to surging netbook maker Acer, according to market research firm Gartner."
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/01/14/apples_share_of_us_pc_market_slips_to_8_at_hands_of_acer.html
If you don't see the similarity there, you're 100% blind and nothing but a fanboy, and that's all there is to it. Oh, and the baby talk doesn't affect me. It shows how worthless arguments are.
Here's the reality of things, Jubei, from a neutral standpoint:
The Zune's marketshare (10%) is greater than Apple's computer marketshare (Mac). If the Zune is a failure in comparison to the monopoly, the iPod, then the Mac (8% marketshare) is a failure in comparison to the monopoly (in terms of OS, as there are multiple manufacturers of the computers themselves), Microsoft Windows.
Regardless of the failure rate of the Xbox 360, the console has still sold more units than the PS3, and has a higher attach rate. The attach rate is the average number of games sold per console sold. Xbox 360- 8.1 games per console; PS3- 7.9 games per console.
THOSE are the facts. Opinions include those statistics you love to post, and the comment about the Zune's reception being "disappointing", because that's obviously not truth.
I fail to see the difference between Apple and Microsoft, personal taste aside. Apple has a monopoly in the PMP market while Microsoft has a monopoly in the OS market, while the Zune is the underdog in the PMP market, and so is OS X in the OS market. The things you bitch about with Microsoft can very easily be turned around and said about Apple... Especially when Apple's top dog goes on to say things such as:
"Picasso had a saying- 'good artists copy, great artists steal'... And, we have always been SHAMELESS about stealing great ideas."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0UjU0rtavE
See? You can't even "debate", yourself. I posted a logical argument that you have, yet again, ignored to post opinions and links to irrelevant articles. I'm not going to go over that again, however, I will address the "Conficker" crap you posted- you would be VERY ignorant to believe that OS X doesn't have any viruses, malware, or spyware itself.
"6.10.2009 News
Apple has finally acknowledged that spyware and viruses are a threat for Mac OS X, as well as the latest operating system in the works, Snow Leopard."
http://www.securemac.com/
The only reason you don't hear about viruses on Macs so much is simply because of the lack of popularity in the market in comparison to those who use Windows- ie: almost all small and large businesses, most homes... Basically ~90% of the computer world.
And speaking of messes... Around 1997... Where was Apple? Oh- on the verge of bankruptcy. Who bailed them out? Oh, Microsoft. ;)
@Jubei
you are sounding more and more like meat_juice.
you have yet to provide a logical arguement for Click's points. nobody gives a shit about you re-quoting yourself. and if you took the blinders off, and stopped blowing apple, you might realize that you're arguing for a company that couldn't care less about you.
you hate microsoft for what reason? because the zune sucks? why? because the windows sucks? why? is it because you got a virus because you were doing stupid shit you weren't supposed to be doing in the first place (with no firewall)? because the xbox sucks? why is it that almost everyone i know that got an RRoD still owns an xbox?
you're just looking for reasons to bag on microsoft. which was old 10 years ago
hating a company for no particular reason other than "they are a competitor" is stupid and childish. hate them for a reason.
i like microsoft
windows 7 is perfect for me and what i need
my xbox experience is terrific
i also like apple
the ipod is easy and widely used
they are innovative sometimes
i like sony
i have an lcd from them that i love
i have a bluray player (ps3), and 'planet earth' looks amazing.
i dislike microsoft because of their failure rate on the 360, but i still play it constantly
i dislike apple because they are overpriced, i still own an ipod i use daily.
i dislike sony because of their ps3 software, seems several steps behind. i still play LBP on it when the mood strikes me
see how easy it is to like products from everyone? comments like yours just make you look like a douche.
This is wonderful. I just had to show some colleagues of mine. You're probably with a handful of people who are ignorant of the 150 million non voting stocks to settle the patent dispute with Apple back then. Yes Apple was broke with only 1+ Billion in cash with little debt. Thats okay, please believe in it and spread it around. Just remember to not mention to anyone that those stocks were already sold by Microcopy for a small profit.
We need another Dodo Bird type to laugh at in the future, so keep that belief. ahahhaa... funny. I guess reading and comprehension doesn't always come hand in hand. It's why you can't understand the incredible achievement of Apple capturing 25% of music in the US with their real innovative iPod/iPhone/iTunes ecosystem. Mr. Clicky still has no linky or Wiki to back up his claims. It's probably why I believe, after reviewing your old post including your long lost Zeus God, you may be a perfect example of anancastic personality disorder. ahahaha
Oh... Look at that Jubei, your posts have been DELETED. LOL! Even the Engadget admins agree with me- LOL!
Oh, and Jubei, I've provided proof for all my percentages. I've given you links to articles and whatnot for almost everything. If not, it's nothing a quick Google search couldn't handle (OH NO- GOOGLE; QUICK, APPLE COME UP WITH YOUR OWN SEARCH ENGINE!)
Brothertim is completely right. In terms of other products, Sony is great- I love their TV's, and for car stereos, I would go nowhere else but Sony, but I was put off with their PS2 and PSP quality as well as their customer support. Does that sound backwards? To some yes, but not to me, where I haven't had any problems with my Xbox's, Xbox LIVE, or their customer support, which, from personal experience, is worlds better than Sony's.
And as far as the iPod goes, they've done nothing but break on me, while the Zune has lasted me just fine, outdoing the iPod in many areas... Even my Phillips GoGear MP3 players still work from 5 years ago, and my Phillips Xpanium CD player from before that, which has been through Hell and back and never skipped a beat, even if I dropped it- no skipping. If a company makes a good product and it suits my needs and purposes, that's all I care about.
AC/DC sucks.
remember when apple was competing against innovative tech companies and not walmart
this is surely the sonification of apple - they used to be a company worth caring about - now they just another consumer corporation
Could be because the other 50% of people that bought music a year ago now pull it from BitTorrents? And they get it in CD quality vs. watered-down apple formatted version...
Did I just get most college campuses in trouble?
What about album sales vs album sales? You know Wal-Mart whips iTunes butt in this area which is why the tabulations have to include "single" mp3 purchases to bring iTunes in front. Most people who have an iPod don't buy full mp3 albums but rather purchase singles which cannot be done at a Wal-Mart store much less at Wal-Mart.com except those little brave ones that find their limited mp3 section. How many of those that got scammed in the mp3 256 upgrade were counted??? I have over 600 albums and not one is from iTunes...thank god! I rather shop emusic, Amazon, FYE (all new CDs are $9.99 at my local stores) and the used sections. BTW, I have a 3G iPod and 3G iPhone. Love music but iTunes is a rip off. Paying $9.99 for an mp3 album when one can get the actual hard copy album for the same price and rip at your own codec...come again???
"What about album sales vs album sales?"
What about them? One of the primary reasons why services like iTunes do well is because you don't have to buy the entire album. If WalMart offered individual track purchases as well as full albums then we can compare. In the meantime you are nitpicking and anyone can spot the flaw in your argument.
Of course this doesn't take into consideration the sale of used music. That's one of many problems with digital downloads. It has no resale value. You can't go to your local music shop and trade them in for credit towards new music. But I guess most music these days is disposable anyways.
That's nothing but impressive. I love iTunes, it does everything for my music including taking car of it for me on my computer. It is the only way that I buy music. I would like to see a media version of iTunes however for the iPhone. It would be fun to see a visualizer of some sort while it sits in the cradle.
Oh good grief, they mentioned the Wiggles. Just when I thought I could push those inane songs out of short-term memory. (Strange things happen to your life when you have a toddler, such as buying Wiggles songs on the iTunes Music Store).
AC/DC are smart.
Online sales are so much harder to track and account for when they're out of your hands, especially if you are an artist chasing up royalties from the record company who screw you in the normal course of business.
iTunes money that goes to artists is laughable, and it's no wonder some artists with more brains will not go there.
Shaming the CD in this post is short-sighted, especially when this grandfatherly format still offers better sound quality than modern lossy files. Our technical leaders of a few decades ago still shame the stuff that's out today on sound quality. Yep, that's saying something. Especially when the CD is all you want it to be - for free. FLAC. MP3. AAC. Anything.
Congratulations, Apple, on a job pretty well done. iTunes has been my go-to place for music purchases for the past few years and it is damned convenient. However, if they could get AC/DC and Tool to sign-up for the service to sell their music, that'd be great.
Wow, that is very interesting. P-Please tell me more.
Amazon would probably have double-digit marketshare if they hadn't started raising the prices. $1.29 for an mp3? Really?? $.99 and I'll consider it.
It makes total sense to me. With the iPhone and iPod Touch, people can buy songs via wi-fi or 3g on impulse, not having to wait to get home to download. http://www.computersncs.com/rd_p?p=191273&t=9544&a=27069-engadget&gift=27069
I doubt CDs will go away completely for a very long time. Many of the older generation don't have the time/interest/money (these days) to upgrade.
This is scary, really scary. This is a picture of my iPod Touch playing Jah Wobble's album Betrayal. When and how was this picture taken??
By the way; it is an insanely great record! You'll love Jah's wacko interpretation of Fats Domino's 'Blueberry Hill'.
T1
Trust me, this is the current editor's own iPod. Jah Wobble is one of my bass heroes.
Is it me, or does Blueberry Hill sound like The Good, The Bad & The Queen?
I wasn't aware that Apples' Censors were filtering out AC/DC.
"Give the Dog a Bone"
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7xvip_comx-download-me_music