Digital Music and Portable MP3 Players

By. Fibriany

The combination of digital music and MP3 players fundamentally changes the way consumers listen to music. With more than 300 digital music services worldwide and 40 million MP3 players sold in 2004 alone, this nascent industry is quickly gaining momentum among mainstream consumers. Looking ahead, how soon will sales of MP3 players reach a plateau? Will digital music make the music pie bigger or simply take from CD sales? Will Apple be able to keep its top position as competitors, old and new, start shipping new MP3 devices to the market?
This report analyzes the current market landscape for digital music and MP3 players, focusing on trends in music services and hardware as technologies evolve and market dynamics shift. The report also features survey data regarding ownership and usage of MP3 players as well as consumer attitudes toward music services.
"Consumer interest in portable MP3 players varies by country, with the French and Chinese showing strong intentions to purchase an MP3 player within the next 12 months," said Harry Wang. "Past device ownership also seems to have a positive impact on consumers' future purchase intentions, with the exception of Germany, so device manufacturers would improve their marketing efficiency by focusing on existing MP3 owners."