14 DAY TRIAL // During the July through September time frame, Apple's iTunes online music store managed to sell more than three traditional music distributors, and if sales keep up the rate, it will surpass other established music retailers. For now, iTunes is the seventh most important music retailer in the United States and the future really looks bright for Apple's music store.
The iTunes Music Store outsold Tower Records, Sam Goody, and Borders according to NPD's third quarter ranking and managed to enter the top ten for the first time ever, said the NPD Group in a Monday report. Considering last year iTunes was 14th in the same ranking, the growing tendency is more than evident. Online music distribution gains a lot of ground compared to the classical alternatives of obtaining music, mostly because users can purchase music at any time and at lower costs than buying CDs.
NPD Group ranked the iTunes Music Store against traditional retailers by counting 12 songs per album to compare online sales with physical CDs and singles. Walmart Stores held on to the first place ranking as the top music seller, followed in order by Best Buy, Target, and Amazon.com.