Amazon has now expanded its DRM-free MP3 store to Germany, and the service has launched today with 5 million tracks.
Full albums are priced competitively, with the 2000 most popular selling for under €5. The top selling album, Stadtaffe by Peter Fox, is currently selling for €4.89. The top paid download is Lady Gaga’s international hit “Poker Face,” which is selling for €0.97.
“We’re excited to provide our German customers with even more ways to discover and enjoy great music at the same destination where they can buy millions of CDs,” added Amazon EU retail VP Greg Greeley in a statement. “Amazon MP3 offers a vast selection of DRM-free a-la-carte music from major and independent labels, ready to enjoy in seconds with any hardware device in high-quality audio.”
According to the German music industry trade body Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BMI), digital album sales exploded in 2008, moving up to 3.9 million units, a 50 percent increase.
“Amazon’s emphasis on ease of use, consumer choice and satisfaction has won their brand a high level of popularity and credibility with music fans,” noted Bernd Dopp, chairman and CEO Warner Music Central and Eastern Europe. “Amazon MP3 is an exciting development in the evolution of this dynamic online retail experience. The platform now offers a compelling range of digital as well as physical formats from our world class roster of artists, while ensuring that the downloads bought can be played on any device.”
Result for: album sales
According to Nielsen SoundScan year-end figures, CD sales fell 20 percent for the year 2008, while digital sales grew 27 percent.
Physical CDs still remain the most profitable media for recorded music, and account for 85 percent of overall album sales.
Over 1 billion digital tracks were sold in 2008, while 362.6 million physical CDs were sold for the year.
Even more disheartening for the record industry is the fact that for the period of September 30th-December 31st, CD sales declined the most. That period is usually the most important time of the year for sales, due to the holidays.
