The Orchard bumped revenues during the recent quarter, but losses continued, a familiar financial pattern for the company. During the fourth quarter of 2009, revenues upped 3 percent to $16.7 million, from $16.2 million previously.

That was boosted by iTunes, now 60 percent of the total Orchard share. That is up 5 percent year-over-year, though contributions from most formats remained largely steady.

Operating losses were trimmed by layoffs, perhaps standard order for any company these days. Expenses totaled $4.5 million during the period, from $5.7 million previously. Still, that could not prevent a net loss of $0.3 million, on par with the same period of 2008. On a yearly basis, the losses compounded to $17.8 million, broader than year-2008 losses of $2.3 million.

The results reflect the tough environment facing independent digital distributors. The digital pie just refuses to ramp aggressively, and that is intensifying an already-competitive space for the Orchard. The situation is also reflected within the low-hanging valuations surrounding ORCD, though majority owner Dimensional Associates is now consolidating its shares and retreating from the Nasdaq exchange.