Apple today announced that the iTunes Store surpassed Wal-Mart to become the number one music retailer in the US, based on the latest data from the NPD Group*.
With over 50 million customers, iTunes has sold over four billion songs and features the world’s largest music catalog of over six million songs.
“We launched iTunes less than five years ago, and it has now become the number one music retailer in the world,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes, in the press release. “We are thrilled, and would like to thank all of our customers for helping us reach this incredible milestone.”
*Based on data from market research firm the NPD Group’s MusicWatch survey that captures consumer reported past week unit purchases and counts one CD representing 12 tracks, excluding wireless transactions. The iTunes Store became the largest music retailer in the US based on the amount of music sold during January and February 2008.
Source: Apple Inc.
MacDailyNews Note:
The Apple iTunes Music Store Milestones:
• February 26, 2008: 4 billion songs sold.
• July 31, 2007: 3 billion songs sold.
• April 09, 2007: 2.5 billion songs sold.
• January 09, 2007: 2 billion songs sold.
• February 23, 2006: 1 billion songs sold.
• February 7, 2006: 950 million songs sold.
• January 9, 2006: 850 million 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. Custom stores for music fans 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 to music lovers in the European Union.
• October 14, 2004: 150 million songs sold.
• July 12, 2004: 100 million songs sold.
• June 15, 2004: Available in UK France 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: Launched in United States.
if you do the math, it only took about 5 days longer to get to 4B Then to get the 3rd billion.
Not a whole month.
I think the graph is a little off.
What’s really amazing is that on the same day that iTunes is officially the #1 music retailer, the record cartels launched their latest effort to take it down — MySpace Music.
http://money.cnn.com/2008/04/03/technology/myspace_music.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2008040313
Most product manufacturers bend over backwards to please their largest retail customers. These guys are actually conspiring to destroy their largest retailer.
I just don’t get it.
Impressive, indeed. To think the scum bags that run the major labels even had a clue. The price of CD’s is ridiculous. Being able to pick and choose worthwhile tunes out of the pottage is an iTunes advantage. And, iTunes Plus offers higher quality downloads.
Missed ya Zune…
Where ya been?
“And, iTunes Plus offers higher quality downloads.”
This is the new world we live in. People don’t seem to understand that instead of the music being squeezed down by 50 times, iTunes Plus only squeezes it down only 25 times.
Hell, CD’s are only 16 bit, not 24 bit. We should have gone up, not down. And not waaaaay down like we did with MP3/MP4
@ Ampar
LOL
there’s always one
@ Your Mom Bluray,
What your eyes can’t register and your ears can’t hear does not need to be included on a digital download or physical media, for that matter.
This explains why the Ugly Music Brotherhood were throwing out all those stories about Amazon doing so well the other week…
To hs:
I thought it was an apt pictorial description.