The number of people visiting Apple's iTunes music store has increased dramatically over the last year, figures show.
According to market research firm Nielsen NetRatings, traffic to iTunes grew by a staggering 241 per cent in 2005.
Between December 2004 and 2005 the total number of unique users visiting the site increased from just 6.1 million to an amazing 20.7 million.
The figures mean that iTunes now reaches about 14 per cent of the active internet population.
The research also found that teenagers aged 12-17 made up a disproportionately large group of iTunes users.
Jon Gibs, director of media analytics at Nielsen NetRatings: "The rapid growth of iTunes is an important phenomenon in the online media marketplace."
This age group is twice as likely to visit the iTunes website and use the service as the average internet user. iTunes users are also more likely to be male than female.
Nielsen NetRatings attributed the growth in traffic to rising demand for Apple's iPod music player.
"The rapid growth of iTunes is an important phenomenon in the online media marketplace," said Jon Gibs, director of media analytics at Nielsen NetRatings.
"Consumers have clearly indicated that they are eager to control their own music libraries, one song at a time."
The statistics also reveal that iTunes users form a distinct target audience with identifiable brand preferences.
According to the research, iTunes users drive Volkswagen cars, drink cider, watch the Cartoon Network and read the Wired magazine.
"As networks begin to decide what types of programs to either produce or distribute through iTunes video, they should match the TV audiences’ offline purchase and media consumption behavior with that of the iTunes users to maximize the success of video downloads," added Gibs.
Last week, Apple announced record first-quarter profits.
The US computer giant said net income in the fiscal first quarter was $565m, compared with $255m a year ago.
During the last three months of 2005, Apple sold 14 million iPods, a year-on-year rise of 207 per cent.
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