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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| iTunes 'biggest US music seller' | iTunes 'biggest US music seller' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Apple's iTunes has overtaken supermarket group Wal-Mart to become the largest music retailer in the US, an independent study has said. | Apple's iTunes has overtaken supermarket group Wal-Mart to become the largest music retailer in the US, an independent study has said. |
| Market research firm NPD said iTunes surpassed Wal-Mart in January and February if 12 downloads are considered equal to the sale of one CD album. | Market research firm NPD said iTunes surpassed Wal-Mart in January and February if 12 downloads are considered equal to the sale of one CD album. |
| Steve Knopper, a reporter for Rolling Stone magazine, said the news showed the big change in music retailing. | Steve Knopper, a reporter for Rolling Stone magazine, said the news showed the big change in music retailing. |
| iTunes has sold more than four billion songs since its launch in 2003. | iTunes has sold more than four billion songs since its launch in 2003. |
| 'Important trend' | 'Important trend' |
| Eddy Cue, iTunes vice president, said the Apple unit was "thrilled" by the findings of the NPD survey. | Eddy Cue, iTunes vice president, said the Apple unit was "thrilled" by the findings of the NPD survey. |
| It wasn't that long ago that Apple was proud of the fact that they were number four and rising and then number three and number two Michael Gartenberg, Jupiter Research | |
| More than 50 million customers have now used iTunes since it started. | |
| While iTunes continues to dominate the music download market, it faces a growing number of competitors. | |
| Social networking site MySpace is just the latest to join the market, launching an online music service in partnership with three major music companies - Universal, Sony BMG and Warner. | |
| ITunes' more established rivals include eMusic and Napster. | |
| MySpace users will now be able to listen to music and watch music videos free of charge, only paying for what they want to download. | |
| Record business analyst Michael Gartenberg of Jupiter Research said iTunes surpassing Wal-Mart "underscores a very important trend in the industry". | |
| "It wasn't that long ago that Apple was proud of the fact that they were number four and rising and then number three and number two." | "It wasn't that long ago that Apple was proud of the fact that they were number four and rising and then number three and number two." |
| More than 50 million customers have used iTunes since it started. | More than 50 million customers have used iTunes since it started. |