iTunes 10 Billion Songs contest near goal, $10k prize offered

After just twelve days, Apple’s “Countdown to 10 Billion Songs” promotion is nearing its end. The counter graphics on Apple’s contest page and the iTunes Store indicate that the total number of songs downloaded is roughly 9.99 billion, leaving only 10 million left before the winning purchase. By comparing the counter number from February 12 to today, we estimate that the store has been seeing roughly 10 million downloads per day, which means the 10 billionth download should happen sometime within the next 24 hours, and possibly sooner, if the pace of downloads accelerates as the goal nears. The winner of the promotion will receive a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card; for more information, see Apple’s Official Rules page.