Post-Christmas Paid Downloads Reach Record Levels
Posted January 6, 2007
Sales of downloads hit a new high during the post-Christmas week, according to figures published by Nielsen Soundscan. The group pointed to sales of 30.1 million downloads, a jump of 51 percent over year-ago figures. Meanwhile, digital album sales crossed the one-million mark, the first time that has happened. The late-year jump is now part of a predictable pattern, and sales of iPods and iTunes Store gift cards undoubtedly played a central role. In 2005, a post-Christmas jump set the stage for elevated sales volumes the following year, though week-to-week figures were mostly flat in 2006. That has sparked heavy debate over the health of the paid download sector, though it may take another year to truly gauge that long-term viability of the format.
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