Apple today announced that the iTunes Store has passed Wal-Mart to become the number one music retailer in the US, based on the latest data from the NPD Group. The NPD Group’s MusicWatch survey captures consumer reported past week unit purchases and counts one CD as representing 12 tracks; the iTunes Store became the largest music retailer in the US based on the amount of music sold during January and February 2008.
“We launched iTunes less than five years ago, and it has now become the number one music retailer in the world,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. “We are thrilled, and would like to thank all of our customers for helping us reach this incredible milestone.” Apple in February announced the Store’s move into second position; since its inception, the iTunes Store has sold over four billion songs, and currently offers the world’s largest music catalog with over six million songs.
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