iTunes hits 10 billion-song milestone

CUPERTINO, Calif., Feb. 26 (UPI) -- Apple says music fans have purchased and downloaded more than 10 billion songs from its U.S. online retailer, the iTunes Store, since 2003.

The 10 billionth song, "Guess Things Happen That Way" by Johnny Cash, was purchased by Louie Sulcer of Woodstock, Ga. As the winner of the iTunes Countdown to 10 Billion Songs contest, Sulcer will receive a $10,000 iTunes gift card, Apple said Thursday.

"We're grateful to all of our customers for helping us reach this amazing milestone," Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of Internet Services, said in a statement. "We're proud that iTunes has become the No. 1 music retailer in the world, and selling 10 billion songs is truly staggering."

Apple said the iTunes Store has a catalog of more than 12 million songs, 55,000 TV episodes and 8,500 movies including more than 2,500 in high-definition video.