iTunes downloads reach five billion

Apple's iTunes store has sold five billion songs

Apple claims to have sold more than five billion songs on its iTunes music store.

The company said that it had reached the milestone just 10 months after hitting three billion songs, and only 27 months after hitting the one billion download mark.

Apple now estimates that its complete music catalogue, which includes DRM and non-DRM tracks, now numbers roughly eight billion songs.

Earlier this year, the company reported that it had overtaken retail chain Wal-Mart as the single largest music retailer in the US.

The company also reported that its iTunes movie service is now serving some 50,000 downloads a day.

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs highlighted his determination to revive the flagging movie service during this year's Macworld keynote when he rolled out a new rental service along with a list of new studio partners.

The company launched the iTunes movie store in the UK earlier this month.