Apple’s iTunes Store accounted for more than a quarter of all music sales in the U.S. during 2009, according to a Billboard report. The report states that iTunes grew its share of U.S. sales to 26.7%, up from 21.4% in 2008 and more than double the 12.7% share it held in 2007. Second-place Walmart, meanwhile, saw its share shrink to 12.5% in 2009 from 15% in the prior year, something the report attributes to the retail chain’s scaling back of floor space dedicated to CDs. Amazon also grew its share of U.S. sales, accounting for 1.7% in 2009 compared to 4.9% in 2008; however, its iTunes rival MP3 store accounted for only 1.3%, up from 0.8% in 2008. Overall, digital accounts in the top 20 overall accounted for a combined 35.5% of all sales, up from 31.6% in 2008. [via Fortune]
Charles Starrett
Charles Starrett was a senior editor at iLounge. He's been covering the iPod, iPhone, and iPad since their inception. He has written numerous articles and reviews, and his work has been featured in multiple publications.