More Than 50 Million Songs Downloaded from iTunes

[Kent Pribbernow]

<img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/itunes.jpg" /> Apple has put out a press relelase this morning, announcing that more than 50 Million songs have been downloaded from the iTunes Music Store. This widens the company's already gigantic lead over all other competing legal online music download services such as BuyMusic.com and Napster. According to Apple, the 50 millionth customer downloaded "The Path of Thorns" by Sarah McLachlan last Thursday afternoon. <br /><br />Steve Jobs was quoted as saying..."With over 50 million songs already downloaded and an additional 2.5 million songs being downloaded every week, it's increasingly difficult to imagine others ever catching up with iTunes." <br /><br />I can certainly vouch for success of the iPod, which are popping up everywhere I look. When iTunes Music store went live I was highly skeptical it would succeed. This is one plate of crow I will enjoy eating. :wink:

[marlof]

Let's just hope the record companies enable Apple to meet their 2004 prediction for the European ITMS. My CC and my iPod are waiting. ;)

[Janak Parekh]

BTW, it's worth noting that this doesn't include the Pepsi promotion. They've actually sold 50 million songs.

PR is here (http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2004/mar/15itunes.html).

--janak

[entropy1980]

As of this morning I have purchased 183 songs from Itunes, the only feature I feel that Napster has better is the fact you can synchronize your collection between computers, Itunes once you download it if you lose it that's it! Other than that small problem I have been more than happy with my ITMS experience :)

[Russell]

BTW, it's worth noting that this doesn't include the Pepsi promotion. They've actually sold 50 million songs.

PR is here (http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2004/mar/15itunes.html).

--janak

That is absolutely worth noting. At 99 cents a pop, they have generated roughly $50 Million in revenue. I believe I read somewhere that they get like 10 cents per song, which means they have pulled in maybe 5 million in profit. They are definitely not making money on this since just producing that Super Bowl commercial with air time was likely 5 to 10 million itself.

That all said... I think some of these corporate giants that are starting dowload services are shooting themselves in the foot by even trying to get into the online music business. The idiots are joining a mini version of the dot.com era.

You read what any analyst says (I think even Steve Jobs admitted) that iTunes sells more iPods but that only the iPod business is profitable. I am sure that sooner or later, they will be saying iPods are selling iTunes. We all know the iPod is by far the most successful selling MP3 player on the market, so if the hype of the top selling mp3 player on the market still only helps push 5 million in profit in almost a year, how could any other online music service even compete? I predict that we will have 3 or 4 onine music companies TOPS by the time this is all over.

[ojlittle]

I've bought 325 songs.... :D

[Russell]

I've bought 325 songs.... :D

I must confess... I bought ZERO. I actually got one free with a slurpee and one free with a bottle of Pepsi that I tipped just right so I could see under the cap. BTW, it really works.

[James Fee]

According to an article I read on MediaDailyNews (http://www.mediapost.com/dtls_dsp_news.cfm?newsID=242346)
Following the announcement of its promotional tie-in with Pepsi, site traffic spiked nearly 250 percent...
...iTunes is, in fact, the only music site to have received a traffic increase during that time period. MusicMatch had a 31 percent decrease, followed by Kazaa with a 35 percent decrease and Napster, whose total traffic fell 38 percent during the period.
What is weird is that the only music store that is growing is the one that is the most "closed". I doubt Apple is that interested in opening up the store to allow other MP3 players access so all this news might be good news to the iPod?!?!?!?!!?

[Wiggin]

IMO, this is a perfect example of a key element of commercial success.... EXECUTION!
Great ideas, poorly executed, almost always fail
Good ideas, well executed, almost always succeed

One can argue that Apple should "open" their service to other formats, but one can not argue the results: even with Apple's "closed" strategy, they have executed the strategy very very well. :D
As an iPod user, and an iTunes subscriber (~100 bought), I would LOVE to have the option to use MP3 as my download option. But, despite not having the option, I continue to buy ... and I'm smiling each time I purchase another song.
:mrgreen: :way to go: