Apple Inc.’s iTunes music and video store keeps on cranking out the hits – and downloads.
Apple, No. 7 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, reports that online music shoppers have now purchased and downloaded over 5 billion songs from its iTunes store.
Customers and visitors to iTunes customers also are now renting and purchasing over 50,000 movies every day, says Apple.
The iTunes store now carries an inventory of more than 8 million songs, 20,000 TV episodes and over 2,000 films. “The iTunes Store became the largest music retailer in the U.S. based on the amount of music sold during January and February 2008,” Apple says.
Apple and iTunes lead the digital music retailing category, but competitors continue to launch ventures to create their own market share and chip away at Apple’s lead. In June, Rhapsody, RealNetworks’ digital music service, teamed with MTV Networks and Verizon Wireless to extend access to digital tunes by expanding DRM-free music selections, offering full-length song samples and purchase options on social networking sites, and integrating with mobile phones. Rhapsody is No. 89 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide.
In May, Napster, No. 113 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, also launched an online music store offering 6 million tunes without the anti-sharing, DRM technology many consumers find annoying. The DRM-free format means users can play Napster-purchased tracks on just about anything from Zunes to Zens and PCs to Macs—and even on Apple’s iPods and iPhones, Napster says. Songs cost 99 cents, same as Apple’s tunes. Napster says the 6 million tracks it offers make it the largest online MP3 music store.
“Music fans need the convenience, ease of use and broad interoperability of the DRM-free MP3 format, and they want to be able to find both major label artists and independent music all in one place,” says Napster’s chairman and CEO Chris Gorog.
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