Apple today announced that music fans have purchased and downloaded more than 150 million songs from the iTunes Music Store, marking another major milestone for the online music business. The 150 millionth song was “Ex-Factor” by Lauryn Hill and was purchased by Beth Santisteven from Ignacio, Colorado. iTunes users are now downloading more than 4 million songs per week, a rate of over 200 million songs per year. Apple also announced the immediate availability of iTunes gift cards at all Best Buy stores.
“Crossing 150 million downloads marks another major milestone for the online music business,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of Applications in the press release. “We’re looking forward to bringing iTunes to even more music lovers when we launch our pan-EU music store soon.”
The iTunes Music Store is available in the US, UK, France and Germany, has Apple’s legendary ease-of-use, pioneering features, personal use rights and breakthrough pricing, and is the best way for PC and Mac users to legally discover, purchase and download music online. The iTunes Music Store gives users the ability to play songs on up to five personal computers, burn a song onto CDs an unlimited number of times, burn the same playlist up to seven times and listen to their music on an unlimited number of iPods.
Apple offers a complete solution for discovering, buying, managing and listening to digital music anywhere with the unbeatable combination of iTunes, iPod and AirPort Express with AirTunes which lets music lovers wirelessly stream music from their PC or Mac to a stereo located in any room in their home.
In addition to Best Buy, iTunes gift cards are available at all Target stores, Apple retail stores and online at [url=http://www.itunes.com]http://www.itunes.com[/url]
And the stock just hit $45.
Woo Hoo!!
Alongside my sad iPod sales log, I also maintain an iTunes milestone log.
The last 25 million tracks were sold in 44 days at a rate of just over 568K tracks/day. The previous milestone – measured between the end of the 100 Million Countdown (which was 100,159,867) and 125 million tracks was achieved in 50 days at just under 497K tracks/day.
Since launch (535 days ago), Apple has sold over 280,000 tracks/day.
So the pace is quickening and Apple still averages more sales/day than most online stores achieve in a week. Makes you think.
simply amazing
So much for the ipod killers hahaha!
gah! this is incredible.. no matter what people say, the pace is quickening..
from 70 million to now a rate of 200 million a year.. the 500 million mark will be incredible, though still about a year and a half away…
When Apple Pan European iTMS is ready, then sales will hit the 500 000 000 mark.
It will take about 6 months from the launch.
stock is now at +5.48 to reach $45.23 !
wow! This is sweet! Like everyone else, I wish I had bought more!
I like that the Apple press releases now mention “discovering” music as one of the features the iTMS. I have many great songs there that I wasn’t previously aware of. The biographies of the artists, and the various links via “most downloaded” and “people who also bought” and iMixes are wonderful. Do the competitors of iTMS have these features?
Can anyone say iTMS Canada?
This is just a passing fad. Give Wal Mart, Napster, and of course, the MS Music store time to catch up and we’ll see who the real champ is. I mean, really, if it weren’t for the iPod’s cool look, its excellent craftsmanship, the iTMS’s awesome interface and the fact that Apple is out to please their customers, where would they be; just another niche company?????
This is just a passing fad. Give Wal Mart, Napster, and of course, the MS Music store time to catch up and we’ll see who the real champ is. I mean, really, if it weren’t for the iPod’s cool look, its excellent craftsmanship, the iTMS’s awesome interface and the fact that Apple is out to please their customers, where would they be; just another niche company?????
sorry for the double post; my piece of crap Dell got another virus. Long live MS and Bill Gates……
So the analysts laughed when Apple didn’t hit 100 Million in 12 months eh? They went on and on about how Apple didn’t reach their goal. Fine.
So where are they now that Apple has sold 50 Million in only 3 months? Where are Rob Glazer and the other donut eaters now???
I just checked the MSN Music Store and napster sells to Canadians… for anyone who’s interested… at least one music provider is interested in mass availability.
Apple won’t compete in Canada… if they sold music at what all the other Canadian Online music stores sell them at (~0.79$ USD) Americans would revolt and would wonder how it’s curious that Apple can still make money in Canada.
Apple should also team up with music stores in different countries and adopt a music mall, from within “itunes” even charging a royalty to those other stores… much like the MSN music mall. I don’t care how much you hate MS… there’s more chance of getting the music I want that way, that itms doesn’t offer or countries they don’t sell to.
This would especially apply to niche music stores.
This would definitely be better for the consumer… better for all of you here… and would also stop those saying they have no choice.
To ottomabulb:
It’s rumored that Apple is planning to release an iTMS Canada later this year. Maybe in November.
http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2004/10/20041014012819.shtml
http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2004/10/20041012011843.shtml
Hmmm, so on 7/11/2004 the Apple iTMS sold its 100th million song and in just 3 months, they sold another 50 million songs, which averages to 16.6 million songs a month.
At this rate, being conservative, by January 2005, the iTMS will have sold, just under 200 million songs. It may go over, if the X-mas buying season results in increased iPod sales and gift certificates.
From http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32114-2004Oct14.html (registration required): “But Mr. Jobs said Apple will continue to innovate to retain its leading market share, and noted that Microsoft’s online-music store, which opened for business in early September, so far has just 1% market share.”
Apple’s competitors just don’t get it. It’s the device that drives music store sales. With a choice of over 70 devices, people overwhelmingly and increasingly choose iPod. And with over 2 million iPods sold in the last 3 months (and probably even higher than the August 92% share in September), the iTMS sales dominance should increase even further.
Naysayers will say its the marketing. So I expect to see MS pour millions into marketing to help its partners sell WMA devices. Butterflies? Slow-mo?
But will it do the trick? I say no because the iPod has the best user interface by far. When a device comes out with a better user interface, then it will begin to have a chance.
Can’t wait to see the bragging rights of the 1 Billion mark, which is 1,000,000,000 songs. Currently at about 200 million songs per year and the addition of new countries at a slow but steady rate, I can imagine it will hit that margin within 3 to 4 years. You wait and see….
adding the Japanese market will be HUGE