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Digital Audio

Ted Carlin, Ph.D.TP*

Record companies continued their transition into a digital business in 2008. Music sales via online and mobile channels have risen from zero to an estimated $2.9 billion—15% of industry sales—since 2003, making music more digitally advanced than any entertainment sector except games (IFPI, 2008). Audio hardware sales continued to surge ahead in 2006 and 2007 after sluggish results in the early part of the decade. According to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the audio category continues to benefit from rapid consumer adoption of digital audio products and related accessories, as more and more consumers buy into the concept of plug-and-play, portable, personal audio and video (CEA, 2008).

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