According to Nielsen, the first 9 months of 2012, digital album sales in the U.S. are up 15% over the same period last year. American fans have already purchased 1 billion digital tracks, a pace that should break 2011’s record of 1.3 billion sold.

A look at music sales over the past few years show that an explosion of new devices including smartphones and tablets has played a major factor in the growth of digital music.

“As we look ahead, it’s clear that digital music purchases – and consumption through streaming sources -will continue to grow, and that consumers’ appetites for digital music will change at the speed of technology,” said David Bakula, SVP of Client Development at Nielsen. “These trends will no doubt continue to shape the way that music is discovered, marketed, consumed and sold.” [Allindstrom]