An interesting fact presented in the Nielsen report is that albums sold on CD account for more than double the amount of albums sold digitally. Digital album sales were reported as “103.1 million” units versus “223.5 million” CDs sold during the same time (http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120105005547/en/Nielsen-Company-Billboard’s-2011-Music-Industry-Report).
The takeaway here is that unless we’re talking about a “track” focused artist (one specifically focusing on single tracks versus albums), artists looking to realize success in part from the sale of recorded music, including album sales, are likely to continue offering both digital and physical options for music releases to their real fans.
-I. Vasquetelle