tech industry

12/15/2003, 8:40am, EST

Monday, December 15th

Apple sells 25 million songs via iTunes Music Store

Apple today announced it has sold more than 25 million songs from the iTunes Music Store since it launched in April 2003. The 25 millionth song, purchased last Friday afternoon, was "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" by Frank Sinatra. Apple also announced that over $1 million of iTunes online gift certificates and allowances have been purchased since the features were added to the iTunes Music Store on October 16, 2003. "With over 25 million songs purchased and downloaded to date, the iTunes Music Store is hands-down the most successful online music store," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "Music fans are buying and downloading almost 1.5 million songs per week from the iTunes Music Store, which is a rate of 75 million songs per year."

The iTunes Music Store offers Windows and Mac users the same music catalog of more than 400,000 songs--all of which have the same "gold standard" personal use rights and the same 99 cents-per-song pricing. The second generation iTunes Music Store launched October 16 includes: online gift certificates for family and friends; Apple's innovative and patent-pending online "Allowance" feature which allows parents to automatically deposit funds into their kids' iTunes Music Store account every month; more than 5,000 audiobooks which can be purchased with one click and listened to on a Mac or Windows computer as well as on iPods; Celebrity Playlists; and exclusive tracks from more than 60 artists. The iTunes Music Store offers music from all five major music companies and over 200 independent music labels.


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12/15, 8:48am, EST
yay... go apple
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12/15, 8:52am, EST
I still really don't understand how anyone is supposed to compete with Apple in the online music store arena. If you take into consideration that Apple is obviously loosing money on this venture (which is perfectly fine because they make it up on the hardware) and they have the ear of the young people compounded by a very nice overall package (music store + well designed MP3/AAC player [iTunes] and an optional piece of hardware [iPod]) I don't see how people like Rhapsody plan to survive.

Apple hit a home run when they figured out that people no longer feel comfortable subscribing to services.
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too bad
0
12/15, 8:54am, EST
75million/year eh?
That's too bad, unless they find some way to boost sales considerablly, it looks like they'll miss the (perhaps unrelistic) 100million mark they set for themselves.
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re: too bad
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12/15, 9:02am, EST
that 75 million is based on a rate that does not include the pepsi promotion. Wait until February and you can properly assess Apple's chances. But yah, I too think 100 million is way out there. But you never know...
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re: too bad
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12/15, 9:24am, EST
Yea, but given the first two estimates (1 million in a year, 10 million in a year) they prolly figure that if they make it or not, 100 million is definitely a good place to strive for =). And hey, maybe they'll go for 1 billion if the Pepsi promotion goes really well!
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awwww....
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12/15, 9:45am, EST
How cute... they even told us what the 25 millionth song was... a christmas song...

(groan)
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I don't believe...
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12/15, 9:56am, EST
...for a second that the 25th million song was 'Let It Snow'. I'll bet my next paycheck that the song is picked intentionally to make the press release look good.
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Why is it so hard...
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12/15, 10:19am, EST
...to believe that a Christmas song was purchased two weeks away from Christmas? I imagine that someone told Steve what the song was, he thought it was fitting, and decided to include it in the press release.
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because...
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12/15, 10:41am, EST
...every time Apple makes this press release they mention what the 'nth' downloaded song was. It's never been a song that isn't wildly popular or appropriate to the season. What if the 25th million song had been 'Concerto in D Minor for Trumpet & Oboe' or 'The Death Song' by Marilyn Manson? Your view of how this press release is made is naive. Marketing doesn't work this way. My impression is they take a list of songs that were downloaded at or near the 25 million mark and pick one that looks appropriate. No, I can't prove this, but that is how marketing works. And no, it doesn't really matter. It amuses me.
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100 Million
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12/15, 10:56am, EST
Apple probably can make this goal. First, as some pointed out the pepsi promotion. Second, there rumors that Apple and MacDona's have a deal. I do not discredit this, but my guess is the deal will not be announced until after the Pepsi Promotion. This would just be rude to Pepsi, as it would take the wind out of its promotion.
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