by , 4:15 PM EDT, May 1st, 2003
Billboard Magazine is reporting that Apple sold a whopping 275,000 songs in the first 18 hours of operation at the Apple Music Store (AMS). As the article also points out, that's an amazing feat considering that the service is limited not just to Apple's 5% of computer users (3% of new market share, plus older systems still in use), but to the subset of that 5% that is using Mac OS X. From the article:
Observers are calling the launch of Apple Computer's digital music service the iTunes Music Store an overwhelming success, Billboard Bulletin reports. The service, which went live Monday, sold an estimated 275,000 tracks at 99 cents apiece in its first 18 hours, according to major-label sources.
[...]
The feat is especially remarkable when considering that the offering is available only to the limited universe of users of Apple computers.
The article also says that Apple has secured bulk discounts on licensing fees for the Windows implementation of the Apple Music Store, for when it goes online. This should fatten Apple's margins for the AMS, as it is likely that Apple will adhere to the same pricing structure for Windows customers.
There's more information in the full article.