A new study by consultancy boffins Jupiter Research has found that the CD still has another five years as the most popular music format before digital downloads take over.

Jupiter Research found that the revered CD, not the download, would be the number one choice for music consumers for the remainder of the decade, despite huge increases in sales of digital music players and online consumer music spending. "Even with the success of the new services, digital music is not about to replace the CD," said Mark Mulligan, Research boss.
However, the growth rate of digital downloads is remarkable. Apple iTunes recently announced an annual sales total of 200m songs. In the last quarter, Apple sold 2m of its uber-cool iPod music players, and it is still the number one must-have present.

Online Only Singles
Now record companies are taking online distribution seriously. Some have signed exclusive deals with digital download sites, and others have adopted online-only singles as promotional tools.(D.M)