Apple has announced that the iTunes store has passed 25 billion song downloads, with songs being downloaded at an average of 15,000 per minute.
The 25 billionth song, “Monkey Drums” (Goksel Vancin Remix) by Chase Buch, was purchased by Phillip Lüpke from Germany, who won a €10,000 (US$13,500) iTunes gift card.
“We are grateful to our users whose passion for music over the past 10 years has made iTunes the number one music retailer in the world,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “Averaging over 15,000 songs downloaded per minute, the iTunes Store connects music fans with their favorite artists, including global sensations like Adele and Coldplay and new artists like The Lumineers, on a scale we never imagined possible.”
The iTunes Store is the world’s most popular music store, available in 119 countries with a catalogue of over 26 million songs. It was launched in April 2003, at a time when free downloads were still readily available online.
