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IRMA Study Reports CD-Audio Continues To Lead Worldwide Industry With More Than 4 Billion Discs Expected In 1999 And 2000
Facing eventual competition from digital-based audio products, the familiar compact disc will continue to hold its world leadership in audio sound with another year of 4 billion-plus CDs, the International Recording Media Association (IRMA) reported today. ""Joined by audio cassettes and a developing DVD-Audio/SACD business, the estimated total retail value of the audio reproduction categories now reaches some $57 billion annually around the world,"" said Charles Van Horn, Executive Vice President of IRMA. ""In comparison, that figure is more than twice that of annual airline transportation revenue in North America,"" he added. ""A special IRMA study that tracks recorded media around the world predicts the replication of 4.3 billion audio CDs in 2000, an increase of 105 million units over 1999's anticipated total. IRMA's Market Intelligence Service covering worldwide optical media also defined and analyzed favorable factors that will continue to favor CDs for audio entertainment,"" Van Horn said. ""The large installed base of CD-Audio players in homes, automobiles and business locations will provide major support for many years ahead. Additionally, the ease of ordering CDs from Internet catalogs more than offsets the sales impact of downloading into the consumer's hard drive,"" Van Horn explained. A slower start in the introduction of audio products based on the DVD system and Super Audio CD is also a favorable factor for CD-Audio in late 1999 and 2000. ""DVD-Audio/SACD will more likely gain attention this time next year when hardware and music titles are more available,"" Van Horn said. IRMA is now forecasting a worldwide industry that will replicate some 28 million DVD-Audio/SACD discs next year ""as the format becomes more available in the marketplace.""