eMusic Reports Independent Downloads to Soundscan:

The paid music download market experienced a major surge over the past year, more than doubling in the United States (and globally as well). But are all of the downloads being counted? According to independent digital music retailer eMusic, the answer is no. The group recently pointed to a "severe undercounting of the burgeoning independent music sector to date," while reporting eMusic sales of "over 45 million tracks over the past 24 months." According to the company, that total surpasses combined sales from major online stores Rhapsody, MSN, Yahoo, and Napster. eMusic offers content from independent labels like Dischord, Rykodisc, and TVT, which allow the sale of content in the unprotected MP3 format.

Moving forward, eMusic will now supply its sales information to Nielsen Soundscan, which offers official download data throughout the United States and Canada. That could create a major bump in digital download totals, while placing a new spotlight on the independent digital sector. "By reporting our sales data to SoundScan, macro digital music sales figures will shift, reflecting a dramatic increase in independent music market share," predicted eMusic CEO David Pakman. eMusic compiled its competitive sales data using estimates provided by aggregators, published reports, SEC filings, company press releases, and market share data.

Source: DigitalMusicNews.com