According to the latest reports, the CD buying public has cut their CD purchasing by almost 17% in the past few months. According to Nielsen SoundScan, for the period running from January 1 through April 2, CD album sales were at about 117.1 million units, a drastic decrease in numbers. However, digital sales appear to be on the rise, at about 281.7 millions. Equating single tracks into albums for a means of comparison only leaves digital sales down 10.3%, which is about normal considering post-holiday spending habits.

With the increased use of legal download services like eMusic and iTunes, many labels have started to utilize these services for exclusive music, most notably the recent "digital-only" release by the Draft. On the flipside, some labels are now also embracing digital downloads as the premiere means of selling music, such as Record Theory, and most recently the decision by Canada's G7 Welcoming Committee to become a digital-release only label.