According to a recent survey by Nielsen Soundscan, music downloads by fans are now larger than spending on offline music. The survey said that downloads for 2006 reached over 500 million.
Before digital music downloads became available, music fans were spending about $100 a year for an average of 6 CDs. In the digital music space, 42 percent of music fans spend over $200 a year. Over double the average of former offline 
sales.
Another important finding was that as a result of digital music, people are not only listening more, but also talking about a lot more as well through online discussion formats.
"These findings demonstrate that real music fans, and today's music tastemakers, are online," said DiMA Executive Director Jonathan Potter. "This makes the 2006 holiday sales jump in music devices and sound recordings exponentially more important to artists, songwriters, producers and music publishers, as online music's impact extends way beyond immediate revenues."In good news for emerging and indie artists, digital music has enlarged the tastes of consumers, with 25 percent saying that they have found new artists and genres through the medium.
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