iLounge

Sales of iTunes Digital Release album cards, which entitle the purchaser to a specific album, as well as bonus materials, are doing well, according to a new Billboard report. The cards, which debuted at Starbucks, are now being sold at the coffee retailer and at Safeway grocery stores as well. As an example, the card for Eddie Vedder’s soundtrack for Into the Wild comprises 6 percent of overall scans for the album, which has scanned 95,000 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan. “People are pleasantly surprised by the results,” said Sony BMG Music Entertainment senior vice president Adam Mirabella. “This is a new product, and the customers are just learning about it,” EMI Music Marketing senior VP of sales Darren Stupak said. “So the sales can only get better.”