March Audio Sales Post Strong Gains

18-May-01

According to figures released by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), manufacturer-to-dealer sales of audio products increased by four percent, to just under 767,000 units during March. Gains in the separate components, systems, and aftermarket autosound subcategories are responsible for the overall increase. Aftermarket autosound showed the most growth, with an increase of 11 percent, to 265,000 units sold. With just over 133,000 units sold, separate components also grew by six percent over March 2000 figures, while system sales increased by two percent, to 160,000 units sold.Additionally, both system and aftermarket autosound sales posted increases during the first quarter of 2001. System sales grew by seven percent over first quarter 2000, to 411,000 in unit sales. Aftermarket autosound maintained its growth from last year with unit sales of 554,000.""We know that sales of audio products will continue to contribute significantly to the year-end sales forecast of all consumer electronics products (more than $88 billion),"" said Gary Shapiro, President and CEO of CEA. ""Whether it be listening to music in a home theatre environment, on-the-go, or through a desktop computer, the audio experience is an important part of consumers' lives. We expect these audio trends to continue as new formats, such as DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD, allow listeners to be completely immersed in new sound experiences.""For more information about the CEA, visit www.ce.org.

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