Dominate

Report: Sony PS3 to Dominate Game Console Market Through 2010

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 20, 2006 - 7:57am.

Scottsdale, Ariz. - Sony will continue to dominate the video game console market through 2010, well into the next-generation console cycle that includes the already-released Microsoft Xbox 360 and forthcoming PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Revolution, according to a forecast from market research firm In-Stat. The firm predicts that the Sony PlayStation 3 will account for just over 50% of the console installed base through 2010, followed by the Xbox 360 (28.6%) and Revolution (21.2%). "Microsoft will outship Nintendo in the next generation of consoles due to its head start in launching, its strength in the North American market, and its appeal to older gamers, a demographic that seems to widen with each new generation of consoles," said In-Stat analyst Brian O'Rourke.

Report: Free File-Sharing Services Still Dominate Digital Music

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 23, 2005 - 8:24am.

Port Washington, N.Y. -- Although legal digital music stores like iTunes and Napster are growing in popularity, free peer-to-peer file-sharing services are still the source for the lion's share of digital music downloads, according to a report from market research firm NPD Group. A survey found U.S. consumers downloaded 243 million songs from free peer-to-peer services in March 2005, while 26 million songs were purchased from online stores. Legal stores are gaining ground though, as NPD notes that in 2003, there were 20 U.S. households who used peer-to-peer for every one household paying for downloads; in 2004, that figure dropped to 3-to-1, and in March 2005 the ratio stood at about 2-to-1. Among consumers trying out digital music for the first time, 41% said they began downloading when they adopted broadband; 30% said they got a better computer; 22% said had purchased an MP3 player; interestingly, 34% said they were the recipient of a digital music promotional offer. However, among those who tried paid services, only 55% returned to buy more downloads -- citing prices and confusing usage rights -- while 85% went back to a peer-to-peer service. NPD said the music industry's lawsuit against file-swappers appear to be having an effect on file-sharing: nearly half of users ages 13 to 25 who said they stopped file-swapping cited the lawsuits as their primary concern. "Between April 2003 when the lawsuits were announced and April 2004 there was a 16 percent decline in the number of songs acquired from P2P; however, those levels have been creeping up again recently although the rise is lagging the growth of broadband," said NPD president Russ Crupnick.

tags: Reports | File-Sharing | Digital Music | Dominate |

Report: CDs to Still Dominate in 2009; Digital Music Will Be 8% of Market

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 28, 2004 - 9:26am.

London -- Compact discs will continue to dominate the recorded music market for at least the next five years, while digital music downloads will slowly increase their market share, according to a report from New York-based market research firm Jupiter Research. The firm predicted that Europeans will spend about $1 billion on digital music in 2009, including downloads and subscription services, but this will make up only 8% of the overall $12.6 billion music market there. By contrast, rival research firm Forrester predicted recently that digital music would make up 30% of the overall European market by 2009. "Digital music distribution will be an important alternative revenue channel for the music industry, but it is not about to replace the CD," said Jupiter Research analyst Mark Mulligan. "Although Europe's digital music market has finally begun to take off after a sluggish start, it will remain a relatively niche market."