It seems fitting that iTunes had its largest digital pre-order for Coldplay’s latest album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. The group pre-sold 288,000 albums, mostly on iTunes, and was perhaps the first to truly usher in the preeminent era of digital downloads.

iTunes had been a terrific vehicle to get that one good song off an otherwise awful or for continuously giving Arrested Development fans hope while Fox did its best to put obstacles (bad weekly timeslots, running the show against the opening ceremonies of the winter Olympics).

Coldplay sold an entire album before it was released. That means that people were paying for 12 tracks with little more than a preview or a liking for the singles that swamped the radio waves. Coldplay’s wide commercial success is most likely the first step in the emerging dominance in the commercial dominance of the Internet over the record store.

Some would argue that Radiohead was the first huge digital success. Radiohead used a donation system, which is essentially giving away the album for free or almost free. The market created buzz for the English group, but it was Coldplay that truly turned a viable profit and not just a marketing strategy with the use of iTunes.

History may look back and lament that a band that is admittedly melodramatic rock pop was the first to break through, but the true test was if a band that was a huge draw could turn its listeners into digital customers.

The next big question is will compact discs find a place in the anti-establishment cool movement like records or will they simply disappear like tapes?