Wednesday, June 23, 2004, 10:30 am

iTMS Europe Sells 800,000 Songs in First Week

By AppleInsider Staff

Apple today announced that music fans in the UK, France and Germany have purchased and downloaded more than 800,000 songs from the iTunes Music Store since its launch one week ago, with more than 450,000 sold in the UK alone. With Apple’s legendary ease of use, pioneering features, personal use rights and breakthrough pricing of just €0.99 and £0.79, the iTunes Music Store is the best way for PC and Mac users in the UK, France and Germany to legally discover, purchase and download music online.

"After selling over 800,000 songs during its first week, iTunes is Europe’s top online music store," said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. "In the UK alone, iTunes sold more than 450,000 songs in the last week—16 times as many as OD2, its closest competitor."

The iTunes Music Store in the UK, France and Germany offers over 700,000 songs in each country, a la carte pricing and seamless integration with Apple’s wildly popular iPod. Exclusive tracks from leading worldwide artists including the Pixies, Alicia Keys, Anastacia and Herbert Gronemeyer have been among top selling artists during the store’s first week.

"By distributing our first new song in 13 years exclusively on iTunes, we were able to quickly and inexpensively make it available to millions of fans in the United States and Europe,” said Ken Goes, manager of the Pixies. “One week after its release, we are thrilled at the response from iTunes users that have helped to make Bam Thwok a top seller across four countries."