Apple passes Wal-Mart in music sales?

Tech blog Ars Technica says they've got their hands on an internal Apple memo that shows iTunes has topped Wal-Mart Stores in total global music sales.

The data in the memo cites a report from the month of January conducted by The NPD Group, a market research firm. NPD's numbers show the iTunes Store leading overall music sales for the first month of 2008 with a 19-percent share, followed by Wal-Mart with 15 percent, Best Buy with 13 percent, and Amazon with 6 percent.

The NPD Group, which reserves certain data for paying customers--like Apple, Wal-Mart, and others--and more general results for publication in the press, isn't taking ownership, but it's not exactly denying the numbers in the report either. NPD spokesman Lee Graham told CNET News.com he "can't comment on or confirm the information because all of that was based on a leaked memo from Apple."

Wal-Mart has long been the leader in global music sales, but Apple opening up a lead isn't a huge a surprise, as it's been on a roll lately. Most recently, the iTunes Store passed Best Buy to take up the second-place spot, according to an NPD report released in February.

[mreiher]

The bell tolls for Retail

This is the beginning of the end for physical retail music sales.
Digital distribution makes so much more sense than buying a CD at
WallyWorld or any retailer. I'd hate to be in the retail music
business. Video is next.

This is good news for Apple and the other major players like
Amazon in the digital music business. Also, I think it's good for
artist too.

[Mercury23]

Good for the artist too

Agreed!!!

Much of the music I buy now, I purchase directly for the artist's themselves. I listen to a lot of triphop which is not a very popular genre, so it's hard to find a lot of good music I like in stores and for that matter, iTunes.

So I result to ordering CDs or purchasing MP3s from a lot of band websites. I would rather do this than buy a retail CD or digital albums from iTunes. This way I know the artist gets their share of the money.

I did the download thing with Radiohead's "In Rainbows" and Nine Inch Nail's "Ghosts i-iv" I would like to see more artists go this route. $5 for a digital download of an album with no physical medium is definitely the right price. With Apple, it's twice that and to get it unprotected I have to burn to CD then rip. I think consumers would really go for the $5 digital album from the artists instead of pirating.

[shycelticwitch]

No surprise

Since Apple leads everything digital in both technology and stability
of operation...

[dascha1]

Um... Careful now

Just remember that ol' fishing trip Sam took with P&G after the
rack-product/jobber fight. The power is in 'can do' to drop and
drop until demand is hot!

Don't mess with 99 cents now??