iTunes leaps to the top of the charts (updated)
In an amazing coup, Apple has become the number one retailer of music in the United States according the latest NPD MusicWatch survey. The results, posted on Ars Technica, show the NPD survey data for January 2008:
- iTunes Store – 19 percent
- Wal-Mart – 15 percent
- Best Buy – 13 percent
- Amazon – 6 percent
- Target – 5 percent
- FYE/Coconuts – 4 percent
- Borders – 3 percent
- Circuit City – 3 percent
- Barnes & Noble – 2 percent
- Rhapsody – 1 percent
- other – 29 percent
Apple passed Amazon to become the number three music retailer in June 2007. At the end of February 2008 Apple became the number two music retailer in the US, behind Wal-Mart.
Why hasn't Apple press released the hell out out of this fact? Could the jump in January sales be skewed because of the cyclical increase of iPod sales over the holiday shopping season? Has anyone seen the February NPD numbers?
Update: Apple has issues a press release that iTunes is the Top Music Retailer in the US. "Apple today announced that the iTunes Store surpassed Wal-Mart to become the number one music retailer in the US, based on the latest data from the NPD Group. With over 50 million customers, iTunes has sold over four billion songs and features the world’s largest music catalog of over six million songs"