iTunes Approaches One Billion Songs Sold

The next milestone is here, and with the widespread use of the iTunes Music Store in 21 countries, it is of little surprise that the one billion landmark is almost here. As with all such landmarks up to date, Apple is celebrating the occasion by giving away prizes to the user who downloads the landmark song. However, unlike the previous promotions, this time there will be many winners, because, beside the grand prize, music fans who download every 100,000th song will receive a prize package featuring a black 4GB iPod nano and a $100 iTunes Music Card.

The lucky buyer of the billionth song will be receiving a 20-inch iMac, 10 60GB iPods, and a $10,000 iTunes Music Card. But that's not all; Apple will also create a full-ride scholarship in their name to a world-renowned music school. "Just think: You could help launch the careers of an entire generation of musicians," reads the Apple official site.

iTunes continues to maintain its lead as the best digital jukebox and online music store, being available for both Mac and PC users, and offering 24/7 access to albums, individual tracks, TV shows and many exclusive offerings that are not available anywhere else.

An official ticker is available on the official site, as well as the official rules.