Apple iTunes Retains its Dominant Position

Nearly 70 percent of music files downloaded legally between December 2003 and July 2004 were downloaded from iTunes according to a report from NPD Group.

Napster's share for the same time period was 11 percent, while MusicMatch, RealNetworks and Wal-Mart each reached a six percent share. The number of consumers paying for downloads reached a peak of 1.3 million in April 2004.

Over the past twelve months, households with a member using a peer-to-peer (P2P) site to download music for free has ranged from 4.7 million to 6.4 million per month, although NPD has noted generally higher levels since March 2004. The recent rise in P2P usage mirrors an overall increase in various digital music activities.

Compared to the end of 2003, NPD has noted more digital music activity in a number of areas. For example, consumers are more likely to rip music to their computers (9 percent in July versus 7 percent in December) and to burn music to CDs (14 percent versus 10 percent).

Source: press release

See also:

• Apple and Motorola Launch ROKR E1 iTunes Phone


• Toni Childs' "Because You're Beautiful" Available on iTunes


• Virgin Electronics Presents Boomtube Portable Speakers

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