CDs Takes a Backseat to Digital Sales

The record label responsible for musicians such as Ray Charles and Led Zeppelin has achieved a big accomplishment. According to the New York Times, contributor in Tim Arango is reporting, "Atlantic, a unit of Warner Music Group, says it has reached a milestone that no other major record label has hit: more than half of its music sales in the United States are now from digital products, like downloads on iTunes and ringtones for cell phones."

Warner Music Group is the parent company of Atlantic Records, and digital sales equaled to "27 percent of its American recorded-music revenue during the fourth quarter." In addition, Atlantic Records admitted that more than 50 percent of their revenue stems from digital sales. As the advent of digital distribution continues, there is still some ambiguity about the future sales of music. Experts are estimating that the music sales in the United States will decrease by the year 2013.