iTunes takes the lead in music sales

CUPERTINO, Calif. In another sign of the decline of the CD, Apple has become the number one music retailer in the United States, beating Wal-Mart. According to the latest data from the NPD Group’s MusicWatch survey that captures consumer reported past week unit purchases and counts one CD representing 12 tracks, excluding wireless transactions, Apple's iTunes Store became the largest music retailer in the United States based on the amount of music sold during January and February.

iTunes has more than 50 million customers and has sold more than four billion songs, Apple reported.

“We launched iTunes less than five years ago, and it has now become the number one music retailer in the world,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vp of iTunes. “We are thrilled, and would like to thank all of our customers for helping us reach this incredible milestone.”