According to the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association (CEMA), the month of August saw hot increases in the sales of audio products. Factory sales of audio products rose 7%, to $694 million, equaling year-to-date revenues of $4.7 billion, slightly ahead of the first eight months of 1998.CEMA reports that the portable audio category made a huge comeback in August, with sales increasing 9%, to $216 million. CEMA says that contributing to this comeback are the sales of portable CD headset units, which grew 26% in August, to $68 million. The sales of home radios and analog tape recorders also helped boost this category, by respective gains of 13% and 18%.The CEMA numbers also reveal that separate home components continued an upward trend, gaining 10% over the same month last year. August receiver sales to dealers were especially powerful, leaping 41%, to $54 million. August speaker sales also contributed to the growth in this category, rising 4%, to $31 million. The separate-components category is close to keeping par with 1998, with year-to-date sales topping $860 billion.
The aftermarket autosound category also saw another tremendously hot month, according to CEMA, with revenues 19% higher ($187 million) than those of August 1998. CEMA says that August sales of in-dash CD players (up 44%) and car speakers (up 22%) helped accelerate the growth in this category.
