Amazon inches up on iTunes

AMAZON GAINING ON iTUNES: The iTunes Store will be 10 years old on April 28—That's the date when the archetypal digital retailer sold its first download in 2003—and it still dominates the download market, but its lead is shrinking. According to a new report from the NPD Group, iTunes had a 63% share of the U.S. download market in the Q4 of 2012 in terms of the number of units sold. But Amazon MP3 is gaining on the 800 lb. gorilla. Three years ago, according to NPD, Amazon had only 12% of the market, and Apple 70%, but by the end of 2012, Amazon’s share had grown to 22%. You’ll find more on the good news from NPD in news. (4/17a)