Internet traffic to Apple’s iTunes music store has soared by 241 per cent in the past year, while the website is now used by approximately 14 per cent of the total surfing population.

Predictably, the majority of these visitors are in their teens, more than twice as many aged between 12 and 17 as in other age groups.

Nielsen NetRatings also reported that 54 per cent of iTunes users are currently male.

Between December 2005 and December 2005, the number of visitors downloading tracks from the store for playing on their iPods has risen from 6.1 million to 20.7 million.

Jon Gibs, director of media analytics at Nielsen, said: “Consumers have clearly indicated that they are eager to control their own music libraries, one song at a time.”

© 2006 Adfero Ltd