News

SA-CD cements market-leading new format position (13/8/2004)

Market intelligence released by the Super Audio CD Project Team illustrates the strong position that Super Audio CD occupies relative to alternative formats, such as DVD-Audio. The Project Team states that there are now over 2,300 album titles available from more than 250 record labels, including international top-selling artists and local recording artists. The economies of scale achieved through mass manufacturing processes mean that the average disc price for SA-CDs has now reached the level of a top priced CD.

Officially audited sales figures indicate that SA-CD is creating significant consumer demand in the European market. Universal Music Group alone reports a staggering 700 per cent increase in SA-CD shipments in 2003, with top-line acts such as Sting selling out all 650,000 copies of his new album, Sacred Hear, within weeks of its European launch. Sting is amongst a sizeable community of artists that have enjoyed commercial success with SA-CD - sales of the Rolling Stones Re-mastered Series now top two million whilst EMI's release of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon has exceeded 550,000 copies and Sony Music Entertainment's Bob Dylan SA-CD series show similar sales strength.

A significant contributory factor in this exponential sales growth is increased sales presence in the big music retail chains. Increasingly, display space is being devoted to SA-CD in high street stores such as Virgin, HMV, Tower, Fnac and Media Markt. The Project Team has championed the installation of special SA-CD listening posts within music stores across Europe and these can be found today in over 400 retail outlets.

Whilst there is a lot of truth in the adage music makes formats, people need players to listen to their new SA-CD albums and consumer hardware sales support indications of increased demand for the SA-CD format. Today, more than 20 manufacturer brands including big names such as Samsung and Toshiba together with audiophile makers have adopted the format and applied it in a wide range of systems from home theatre to in-car entertainment. The Project Team reports that 2003 saw SA-CD player sales top four million and this is set to increase to seven million in 2005.

"Sony and Philips have invested considerable time and money in SA-CD and now we are starting to see the return on this investment - not just for ourselves but for the whole audio industry," commented David Walstra, Director, Sony Super Audio CD Business Centre (Europe). "From day one, SA-CD was developed to meet the critical requirements of today's music industry. It takes CD as its basis, builds on its tremendous success and offers real value in terms of audio quality, compatibility and format security. No other format can claim this success and surely it's time to come together and support the best way ahead for the whole industry."

www.superaudio-cd.com