iTunes Still King of the Music Services

Even with the serious online music contenders that have surfaced in recent times (Amazon MP3 etc.), Apple's iTunes Store is still king according to the latest research. The NPD group have recently released market research data that shows for the first half of this year, Apple's iTunes held onto the number one spot in the United States.

The survey quizzed consumers aged 13 and over about their music purchases of CDs, a la carte music downloads, and tracks from wireless services. From January to June this year, NPD's statistics show that the iTunes Store maintained it market lead, beating Wal-Mart into second place, followed by Best Buy, Amazon MP3, and Target.

NPD's entertainment analyst, Russ Crupnick, said, "We expect Apple will consolidate its lead in the retail music market, as CD sales continue to slow. Amazon’s CD buyers tend to be older, so they haven’t abandoned the CD format to the extent seen in the average music buyer. Plus Amazon’s successful introduction of its digital download store will help the company improve its position in the future."