The NPD Group, a market research firm, reported today that the Apple iTunes Store is now the second-largest music retailer in the U.S. after Wal-Mart. Apple surpassed Best Buy to gain that second spot.
Apple indicated that it now had over 50 million customers and the Apple iTunes Store has now sold over 4 billion songs.
Overall, the amount of music purchased increased about 6 percent in 2007 but music spending per capita dropped about 10 percent.
One stat that surprised me (but probably should not have) is that 48 percent of U.S. teens did not purchase a single CD in 2007!