Cupertino, Calif. - Apple's (NASD: AAPL) iTunes Store has surpassed Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) to become the No. 1 music retailer in the U.S., according to new figures from market research firm NPD Group. iTunes surpassed the retail giant based on the amount of music sold during January and February.

Launched less than five years ago, the iTunes Store has sold more than four billion songs, and currently features a music catalog of over six million songs.

The service pulled ahead of Amazon.com (NASD: AMZN) for the No. 3 spot last June, then past Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) for the No. 2 spot over the winter. "

We are thrilled, and would like to thank all of our customers for helping us reach this incredible milestone," said Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of iTunes.

Related Links:
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2008/04/03itunes.html

http://www.npd.com