Apple's iTunes serves up 10 billionth song download

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
Apple's iTunes Music Store sold its 10 billionth song Wednesday afternoon, with the milestone being reached nearly seven years after the digital music download destination was introduced.



The momentum for iTunes has only accelerated since the store first opened in April of 2003. It took nearly three years for Apple to achieve its first billion in sales, while the 3 billion milestone was reached in July 2007.



Apple reached the halfway point to Wednesday's 10 billion milestone in June 2008. While the 5 billion mark took more than five years to reach, the next 5 billion came in less than two years, just after 4:30 p.m. EST Wednesday.



To accompany the 10 billion achievement, Apple did a promotion awarding a $10,000 iTunes gift card to the person who downloaded the song.



Wednesday's milestone also happened to coincide with the birthday of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. The technology titan is 55.



In August, Apple's iTunes was found to be a quarter of all music sales in the U.S. That makes iTunes by far the largest music retailer, ahead of second-place Walmart with 14 percent. In all, digital downloads make up 35 percent of music sales, and iTunes accounts for 69 percent of online sales.







The future of iTunes could be very different. After Apple's purchase of music streaming service Lala, the Cupertino, Calif., company is expected to shift towards the browser with a cloud-based service that could let users access the content they own from anywhere, on any device.







Apple has also been slowly expanding its browser-based iTunes Preview service, which allows users to explore content from the online store without launching the iTunes application. It is rumored that Apple will eventually allow customers to access and buy content from the browser.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 22
    So, $10bn to the record companies. I wonder how much of that actually found its way to the artists?
  • Reply 2 of 22
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by allblue View Post


    So, $10bn to the record companies. I wonder how much of that actually found its way to the artists?



    I only paid once for an itunes song..



    F#CK the record companies ... thats what they did to me and my group in the mid 90's we got signed to a 7 year deal and were locked into an agreement and they (record co.) forced us to use one of their lawyers for the contract negotiations.. they racked up the bill to $250,000 then told us we had to recoup before we saw a dime .. then they dropped us... so I say FUCK 'EM and thats it..



    can you say uTORRENT...
  • Reply 3 of 22
    Quote:

    It is rumored that Apple will eventually allow customers to access and buy content from the browser.



    Jeff Bezos and Amazon must be flattered by the replication of their efforts.
  • Reply 4 of 22
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bitzandbitez View Post


    I only paid once for an itunes song..



    F#CK the record companies ... thats what they did to me and my group in the mid 90's we got signed to a 7 year deal and were locked into an agreement and they (record co.) forced us to use one of their lawyers for the contract negotiations.. they racked up the bill to $250,000 then told us we had to recoup before we saw a dime .. then they dropped us... so I say FUCK 'EM and thats it..



    can you say uTORRENT...



    So at no time you couldn't say no before you signed on the dotted line?
  • Reply 5 of 22
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by allblue View Post


    So, $10bn to the record companies. I wonder how much of that actually found its way to the artists?



    Note that at the 99¢ or $1.29 doesn't all go to the labels. Apple still has to take their cut out of that.
  • Reply 6 of 22
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TEKSTUD View Post


    Steve Bezos and Amazon must be flattered by the replication of their efforts.



    Except that Apple's music distribution model has been by far the more successful one. Allowing content purchases from the browser is just an additional convenience, if not part of natural strategy involved with Cloud computing initiatives.
  • Reply 7 of 22
    davegeedavegee Posts: 2,765member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TEKSTUD View Post


    Steve Bezos and Amazon must be flattered by the replication of their efforts.



    Steve Bezos? I didn't know Jeff had a brother....
  • Reply 8 of 22
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaveGee View Post


    Steve Bezos? I didn't know Jeff had a brother....



    Yes he stole his name from the titan of technology.
  • Reply 9 of 22
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Quadra 610 View Post


    Except that Apple's music distribution model has been by far the more successful one. Allowing content purchases from the browser is just an additional convenience, if not part of natural strategy involved with Cloud computing initiatives.



    I think you mean an iTunes bloatware fix.
  • Reply 10 of 22
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bitzandbitez View Post


    I only paid once for an itunes song..



    F#CK the record companies ... thats what they did to me and my group in the mid 90's we got signed to a 7 year deal and were locked into an agreement and they (record co.) forced us to use one of their lawyers for the contract negotiations.. they racked up the bill to $250,000 then told us we had to recoup before we saw a dime .. then they dropped us... so I say FUCK 'EM and thats it..



    can you say uTORRENT...



    Sounds like you signed a bad deal... you should have hired your own attorney then, at least to look at their lawyer's work.

    Or were they holding a gun to your head? In which case, report them, then sue them.

    Maybe you just wanted to be a rock star and were too scared that that might not happen if you didn't sign first RIGHT NOW!!!
  • Reply 11 of 22
    That is a pretty impressive line chart. Maybe that will let Apple throw it's weight around with the record labels.
  • Reply 12 of 22
    Quote:

    Wednesday's milestone also happened to coincide with the birthday of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. The technology titan is 55.





    I should have known, everything is a crafted plug.



    Oh well, I guess I'll find some use for the few hundred songs I bought Tuesday.
  • Reply 13 of 22
    daveswdavesw Posts: 406member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaveGee View Post


    Steve Bezos? I didn't know Jeff had a brother....



    ROFL! who the hell's Steve Bezos????
  • Reply 14 of 22
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by davesw View Post


    ROFL! who the hell's Steve Bezos????



    http://pipl.com/directory/people/Steve/Bezos
  • Reply 15 of 22
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:



    This is so sad that I can't even make fun of you this...
  • Reply 16 of 22
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    This is so sad that I can't even make fun of you this...
    Going on vacation for the next month... later.



    ONly you would take me for that serious. Fooled you that easily, that fast? Please go on vacation dude because you're losing it- Fast.
  • Reply 17 of 22
    daharderdaharder Posts: 1,580member
    [CENTER]*golf clap*[/CENTER]
  • Reply 18 of 22
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bitzandbitez View Post


    I only paid once for an itunes song..



    F#CK the record companies ... thats what they did to me and my group in the mid 90's we got signed to a 7 year deal and were locked into an agreement and they (record co.) forced us to use one of their lawyers for the contract negotiations.. they racked up the bill to $250,000 then told us we had to recoup before we saw a dime .. then they dropped us... so I say FUCK 'EM and thats it..



    can you say uTORRENT...



    And this is why my band will never sign a record deal*.



    That being said, we are putting our next EP up on iTunes independently. We pay a minimal fee to have our stuff put on iTunes and we keep our royalties and rights.



    We're getting a very small run of CDs made up for selling at shows and the local hole-in-the-wall indy record shops, but the main focus is digital. I honestly cannot think of a time when bands had this much control over everything.



    It pisses me off when people go on about how iTunes is nothing but corporate greed. A good chunk of it is (your big assed, recouped artists), but there is also a rather large catalogue of independent artists who no longer have to rely on record companies for distribution. I've bought a tonne of awesome music off of iTunes; music that I cannot get at my local box store... music that has been released by the artists themselves or by a small labels who are utilizing the internet to avoid relying on the record companies for anything.



    Congrats to Apple for ten billion tunes sold. That's pretty awesome.



    To the guy with the band who got fucked, don't pirate everything because you got fucked. There are a lot of indys out there who are managing to do well because of alternatives like iTunes. If you wanna pirate anything, pirate the big label moneymaker acts. You'll find the only acts who really yell and scream about illegal downloading are the big assed recouped multimillionaire "artists".





    * We're not looking to get signed anyway. None of us want to be rock stars. This is a hobby - but it is fun to get our music out to people outside of our immediate area.
  • Reply 19 of 22
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by allblue View Post


    So, $10bn to the record companies. I wonder how much of that actually found its way to the artists?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sticknick View Post


    And this is why my band will never sign a record deal*.



    That being said, we are putting our next EP up on iTunes independently. We pay a minimal fee to have our stuff put on iTunes and we keep our royalties and rights.



    We're getting a very small run of CDs made up for selling at shows and the local hole-in-the-wall indy record shops, but the main focus is digital. I honestly cannot think of a time when bands had this much control over everything.



    It pisses me off when people go on about how iTunes is nothing but corporate greed. A good chunk of it is (your big assed, recouped artists), but there is also a rather large catalogue of independent artists who no longer have to rely on record companies for distribution. I've bought a tonne of awesome music off of iTunes; music that I cannot get at my local box store... music that has been released by the artists themselves or by a small labels who are utilizing the internet to avoid relying on the record companies for anything.



    Congrats to Apple for ten billion tunes sold. That's pretty awesome.



    To the guy with the band who got fucked, don't pirate everything because you got fucked. There are a lot of indys out there who are managing to do well because of alternatives like iTunes. If you wanna pirate anything, pirate the big label moneymaker acts. You'll find the only acts who really yell and scream about illegal downloading are the big assed recouped multimillionaire "artists".





    * We're not looking to get signed anyway. None of us want to be rock stars. This is a hobby - but it is fun to get our music out to people outside of our immediate area.



    from that first incredible moment when i first played a ipod song

    the freedom to play any one of 700 hendrix songs TO >>> having 60 movies 4000 home pics

    and 6000 AIFF songs on my 160 g classic

    10 billion of anything is amazing



    one day i may buy an iphone or touch

    but the ipod classic for me while i commute is amazing



    i find many here on this topic jaded self centered jerks

    to bicker and fight and ignore the most incredible game changer ever is.......



    well congrads to apple AND thank you for a UE that is seam less





     billions songs

    wow



    and to the tons of lost blues artists who now get money from apple itunes

    congrads also







    zune me baby
  • Reply 20 of 22
    igeniusigenius Posts: 1,240member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by brucep View Post


    and to the tons of lost blues artists who now get money from apple itunes

    congrads also



    Hey - Which old blues artists are you referring to? I looked years ago for obscure stuff on iTunes, but found little or nothing.



    Are there now rare old out-of-print artists available?



    My impression was that iTunes had a lot of pop stuff and chart-toppers, but little in the way of obscure interesting out of print stuff.



    Do they have Frank Stokes, Blind Old Tom Anderson, or Sleepy John Estes?
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