Beatles sell over 2 million songs in first week on iTunes

[News_Editor]

Beatles sell over 2 million songs in first week on iTunes

2010-11-24 06:48:19 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- Billboard on Tuesday announced that the Beatles sold over 450,000 albums and 2 million individual songs worldwide through the iTunes store after being available for one week.

From that amount, U.S. album sales totaled approximately 119,000 units, including 13,000 digital box sets. On the other hand, individual track sales recorded 1.4 million. The most demanded album was "Abbey Road" while the best-selling song was "Here Comes the Sun."

The U.S. album sales considered digital box sets as only one album while worldwide sales tallied counts each box set as multiple albums. Each digital box set included 13 studio albums, the two-volume "Past Masters" compilation and the "Live at the Washington Colisum, 1964" concert film.

The sales, however, were not as huge as expected. Industry observers remarked that the sales may have been better if the digital releases were staggered rather that putting the entire Beatles catalog on iTunes simultaneously.

Last week, EMI Music and Apple Corps reached a deal with Apple to finally make the complete Beatles catalog available for purchase at the iTunes store. The deal was accompanied by an extensive marketing campaign that is expected to kick into high gear in the near future.

The delay of the deal was caused by a long-running holdout from online music services and an ongoing trademark litigation between Apple Inc. and Apple Corps. In 2007, the two companies agreed on joint use of the apple logo and name.

Since last Tuesday, single albums are available for purchase and download for $12.99 each, double albums for $19.99 each and individual songs for $1.29 each, while the special digital "Beatles Box Set" is available for $149.

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