Apple announced that the iTunes Store (www.itunes.com)
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. "We are thrilled, and would like to thank all
of our customers for helping us reach this incredible milestone."
Information is 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.