Apple announces billionth song, winner
updated 02:15 pm EST, Thu February 23, 2006
Billionth iTunes song
Apple today announced the winner of the Billion Song Countdown promo, which started started earlier this month and ended early Thursday morning. The billionth iTunes song was "Speed of Sound," which was purchased as part of Coldplay's "X&Y" album by Alex Ostrovsky from West Bloomfield, Michigan. As the grand prize winner he will receive a 20-inch Intel iMac, 10 fifth-generation iPods and a $10,000 gift card good for any item on the iTunes Music Store. In addition, Apple will establish a scholarship to the world-renowned Juilliard School in his name. "I hope that every customer, artist and music company executive takes a moment today to reflect on what we’ve achieved together during the past three years," said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO.
"Over one billion songs have now been legally purchased and downloaded around the globe, representing a major force against music piracy and the future of music distribution as we move from CDs to the Internet."
Amazing
02/23, 02:39pm reply
This is a great milestone in all realms of media. Who woulda thunk it?
Muffin
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 2004
Right
02/23, 02:50pm reply
It's a great milestone if you're a stockholder in AAPL. Otherwise, it's meaningless.
denim
Mac Elite
Joined: Jun 2000
ironic
02/23, 03:18pm reply
I find it ironic that the billionth song came from an album which was notorious for it's restrictive DRM.
devospice
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2000
not meaningless
02/23, 03:31pm reply
Actually, denim, it's not meaningless at all. This has a great meaning to anyone who listens to music, or expects to keep listening into the future. iTMS is a major turning point and influencing agent for change in the way we buy music.
bfalchuk
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jul 2003
MP3 and digital downloads
02/24, 01:20pm reply
were supposed to help tilt sales towards the little guy but nothing of the sort happened.
Coldplay's "speed of sound" is perhaps the easiest song to download from a free file-sharing network right now (hey, the last thing Chris Martin needs is another penny from me) and yet instead of the billionth song being something from an indie group or even some obscure track, it's the same-old, same-old billboard top 50.
just a poster
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jun 2004