By George Anderson
It was always more a question of when than if Apple's iTunes Music Store would become one of the top retailers of music in the U.S. Now that it has cracked the top 10 (it stands at number seven), the question remaining is how much higher can it go?
"The ongoing and growing popularity of Apple's iTunes Music Store now positions the company as a leading music retailer, and continues to legitimize legal digital music retailing," said Russ Crupnick, music and movies industry analyst for The NPD Group. "With the growing interest in digital music, forecasts of more iPod demand this holiday, plus the stocking-stuffer appeal of iTunes gift cards, we can expect Apple to increase its share even more by year's end."
According to The NPD Group's research, Apple is now selling as many units as the largely brick and mortar Tower Records and more than the Sam Goody chain. Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target and Amazon.com, FYE and Circuit City are currently ahead of Apple in the pre-recorded music category.
Moderator's Comment: What does the growing prominence of Apple's iTunes Music Store mean in the music retailing space? - George Anderson - Moderator