Apple today announced that more than three billion songs have been purchased and downloaded from the iTunes Store. iTunes is the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store featuring a catalog of over five million songs, 550 television shows and 500 movies. iTunes recently surpassed Amazon and Target to become the third largest music retailer in the US (source: NPD Group).
“We’d like to thank all of our customers who have contributed to this incredible milestone,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes, in the press release.
With Apple’s legendary ease of use, pioneering features such as Cover Flow, integrated podcasting support, iMix playlist sharing, seamless integration with iPod and iPhone, and theability to turn previously purchased songs into completed albums at reduced prices, the iTunes Store is the best way for PC and Mac users to legally discover, purchase and download music and video online.
Visit Apple’s iTunes Store here.
MacDailyNews Note: Exponential!
The Apple iTunes Store Milestones:
• July 31, 2007: 3 billion songs sold
• April 9, 2007: 2.5 billion songs sold
• January 9, 2007: 2 billion songs sold
• December 6, 2006: Available in New Zealand
• February 23, 2006: 1 billion songs sold
• October 25, 2005: Available in Australia
• August 4, 2005: Available in Japan
• July 17, 2005: 500 million songs sold
• May 10, 2005: 400 million songs sold; available in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland
• January 24, 2005: 250 million songs sold
• December 16, 2004: 200 million songs sold
• December 2, 2004: Available in Canada
• October 26, 2004: Available in the Austria, Belgium, Finland, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain
• October 14, 2004: 150 million songs sold
• July 12, 2004: 100 million songs sold
• June 15, 2004: Available in UK, France, and Germany
• April 28, 2004: 70 million songs sold
• March 15, 2004: 50 million songs sold
• December 15, 2003: 25 million songs sold
• October 16, 2003: Available for Windows; 13 million songs sold
• September 8, 2003: 10 million songs sold
• June 23, 2003: 5 million songs sold
• May 14, 2003: 2 million songs sold
• May 5, 2003: One million songs sold
• April 28, 2003: iTunes Store launched in United States
MDN: Sales on the ITS are not exponential anymore. They were in 2005/2006 but it stopped in 2007. Such growth could not be sustained indefinitely. We can also see a small slowdown in the last 4 months.
@SL
“they only make 11 cents off each track, how can they donate any proceeds to anywhere? They sell 3 billion songs, which mean they only made 3.3 million dollars.”
Hey dumbass, learn basic math. $330 million is the right answer.
AO,
Can you do a little math for me? From the legions of the “homeless” you care so much for, please subtract all those who are addicted to drugs or alcohol, have been convicted of criminal behavior, dropped out of school as soon as they could, got pregnant as a minor (again, as soon as they could), hate “the system,” are mentally challenged or “ill,” or simply prefer the freedom of the open road.
How many people does that leave? Why don’t YOU take THEM into YOUR house, feed and clothe them, wipe their noses, tend to their other needs, and love them back to productivity?
Please, do not ask the rest of society (including Apple and Exxon) to do your dirty work for you. It’s YOUR responsibility.
Big deal. Check out Zune Marketplace for a music buying experience you’ll treasure. And put that content on a Zune for even more end user satisfaction.
It leaves iTunes in the dust. Nice try, Apple.
Your potential. Our passion.™
@ Jeff
Exactly my thoughts, it seems we are back to linear growth.
Connor MacBook – just to clarify things, iTMS was released as Mac-only on April 28, 2003. The Windows version of iTunes and the iTMS wasn’t released until October 16, 2003. So the first 13 million songs sold were Mac-only. The iPod was released October 23, 2001 and was also Mac-only until the release of iTunes for Windows. Then sales of iPods and iTMS songs exploded.
Looks like Apple is on track to sell 2 Billion songs THIS YEAR alone…
@Zune Tang: I’m new here, so I have to ask… Are you really as clueless as you seem to be?
I’ve been in the Microsoft camp since the reign of MS-DOS, and I can’t think of anything Bill & Company has ever done that falls in the category of “a buying experience you’ll treasure.” Instead, Microsoft products were just kinda there and convenient to acquire.
But now I’m done with all that. Vista was the final straw. My “end user satisfaction” hit an all-time low with that sorry excuse for an OS. It’s actually the first upgrade I’ve ever done where the end result made me feel like I went backwards. What a disaster!
Anyway, I’m picking up a MacBook Pro this afternoon and leaving the PC behind forever. My only regret is that I was a mindless sheep for far too long. I should have left Microsoft and its mediocrity years ago.
Anyone know if this includes ‘buying’ the free content? I have hundreds of tunes from the Store now, but I’ve never spent a nickel.
Linuxguy says: “I say, “Shove it where the sun doesn’t shine.” If you want to play altruist, give away your own f***ing money and property.”
This must be where all the beautiful people hang out. Tell me, do you speak to your friends, family, and co-workers in this tone? You must be loads of fun to be around.
I agree that each company must decide on how they handle charitable causes, but my Fortune 50 company contributes millions upon millions of dollars to worthy causes. It helps present a strong image to the public and it helps bolster communities around the country.
I know Apple does this as well…..
MW: Cause
Wow.
Be at peace my friends. I mean no harm.
Just remember that there is only one of us. Once everyone catches on to that truth…the world will start to improve.
You should fell ashamed
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Go on, but ONE song !
“Be at peace my friends. I mean no harm.”
TOO LATE FOR THAT
First post sets the battle lines. YOU started this war, peace comes only after your complete surrander.
@ Jeff Olsen pay no mind to Zune Thang he’s just one of the local FUD pets.
@Jeff Olsen. Zune Tang engages in satire. S-A-T-I-R-E. Unfortunately, it’s hard for a prolific satirist to keep up the standard. Nevertheless, some of his (we’ll assume gender) posts are excellent, e.g., when he recently provided a link to a hideously painted PC as an example of the sort of style Apple should emulate.
“Connor MacBook – just to clarify things, iTMS was released as Mac-only on April 28, 2003. The Windows version of iTunes and the iTMS wasn’t released until October 16, 2003. So the first 13 million songs sold were Mac-only. The iPod was released October 23, 2001 and was also Mac-only until the release of iTunes for Windows. Then sales of iPods and iTMS songs exploded.”
Clarification to your clarification:
iTMS was released on April 28, 2003, which is also the same date that the Third Generation iPods debuted. Third Gen. iPods, and Second Gen. iPods were compatible with Windows prior to the release of iTunes for Windows. They used a version of Musicmatch Jukebox on Windows to transfer songs. So, between April 28, 2003 and October 16, 2003, the iTMS was Mac-only (because iTunes itself was Mac-only), but the iPod itself was Mac and Windows compatible.
Many speculate that the iTMS was initially Macintosh only because the record labels did not want the music store to become too widespread and popular too quickly. A debut only on the Macintosh meant that the experiment was much more “controlled” and this led to greater confidence from the labels, because at the time the idea of the iTMS was unprecedented.
–mAc
By the way, at the current rate (which appears to still be accelerating) Apple will sell approximately 2 Billion songs per year. They sold the last billion in ~6.5 months.
–mAc
hey AO,
All that is needed is an optional “Higher Optional Tax.” What a H.O.T. does is allow people to voluntarily give more of their own money each week to the government. It can be any extra percentage you want to give and you can change the amount whenever you need to. The extra money could then be used to bolster social programs which would help the people you mentioned in your first post.
3 states already have a Higher Optional Tax (H.O.T.) so it could be done on the national level.
Now that you now about this great suggestion, I expect you to start working on it by writing and calling your representatives and also starting a grass roots H.O.T. organization. Imagine if just half of the taxpaying workers gave a little extra each week. That could amount to tons of money to help make the current social programs stronger.
@JeffOlsen – Welcome and enjoy!
@Me – Any opinions on ProjectRed? (I bought a red nano)