....During the second half of 2004, more than 91 million digital tracks — songs downloaded from the Internet — were sold, compared with 19.2 million in the same period in 2003. That's an increase of 376 percent.

More than 140 million digital tracks were purchased during 2004. Plus in the last week of 2004, digital track sales hit a record 6.7 million.

Apple Computer Inc. CEO Steve Jobs has seen his company's iPod digital music player, which starts at $250, sell more than 10 million units since 2001 — and 8.2 million in 2004 alone. The iPod, no bigger than a pack of cigarettes, can hold up to 10,000 songs. Apple also recently released the iPod Shuffle, a less pricey (starting at $99) and less capacious version of the iPod; sales have been brisk. Pepsi is now giving away songs on the iTunes Music Store — the online site where iPod users can plug in and download.

....In the "no format" future, Petersen added, record stores, in order to better serve consumers who might not have all the technology at home, should burn CDs for customers and offer high-resolution graphics for a jewel case.

Liner notes and album art will be downloadable, too.

....The good news for curmudgeonly souls unwilling to embrace a brave new world is that there will probably always be something "physical" to stuff in their purses, even if they have to make it themselves.

"I think there will always be a market for the physical product," said Steve Blatter, 38-year-old vice president of music programming for Sirius Satellite Radio, a company that intends to thrive on the consumer's desire to customize musical options. "If you just want to listen to music on your computer, think about what you have to go through to listen to that Ashlee Simpson song.

"There is a simplicity to the CD player." [Washington Post]