Billboard has removed all physical sales data, including CDs, from its weekly "Market Watch" breakdown of Luminate data. This significant change follows the earlier removal of vinyl sales figures from the report.

The removal comes after several notable developments:

• Luminate's methodology changes in early 2024 faced strong opposition from independent retailers
• A discrepancy emerged between Luminate's market data and Billboard's reporting
• Billboard reported significant year-over-year declines in CD sales, contradicting RIAA statistics

The Market Watch report no longer includes the "Album Consumption Units by Format" section, which previously tracked:

• CD sales
• Vinyl sales
• Track-equivalent units
• Audio-on-demand-equivalent units
• Digital sales
• Other formats

Billboard now acknowledges that "there is not available comparable historical data to provide an accurate year-over-year trend regarding physical sales." This situation suggests two possibilities:

1. Previous sales statistics may have been inflated
2. The market might be experiencing an actual decline in physical format sales

The changes highlight ongoing challenges in accurately tracking physical music sales, particularly in the independent retail sector.

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