Yesterday was a huge milestone for Apple. The technology giant made it to 25 billion iTunes song purchases since its start, a decade ago.
Roughly 15,000 songs are downloaded on iTunes per minute, according to Eddie Cue, Apple’s SVP of Internet Software and Services. “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,” Cue said in a statement.
The lucky customer was Phillip Lüpke of Germany. Apple announced that he will receive a €10,000 ($13, 381) iTunes Gift Card.
Despite less than expected quarterly earnings and a dip in shares, as of last month, Apple became the top mobile downloading service. The release of their iPhone and iPod has contributed to the amount of music purchases, as it provides a one-stop-shop for customers.
Three years ago the iTunes store hit the 10 billion download mark, and surpassed 1 billion in 2006.
“In a lot of ways, iTunes has leveled the playing field for musicians. Whether you’re unsigned, indie, major, whatever—it’s the place most people go to buy digital music,” noted Wesley Schultz, guitarist and lead vocalist of The Lumineers. “iTunes doesn’t exclude any musicians simply because they’re not yet established or popular.”
The iTunes store is the world’s most popular music catalog with more than 26 million songs.
