They were expected to make up a bigger slice of disc sales after Blu-ray won the backing of Hollywood studios earlier this year over the rival HD-DVD technology.

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That security could one day make SD cards as common a medium for distributing digital content as the compact disc is today.

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American rival Warner Music Group, which had been expected to make a counter-bid for EMI last year, has also attempted to restructure in order to stem declining compact disc sales and capture more digital revenues.

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