By AppleInsider Staff

Published: 01:00 PM EST (10:00 AM PST)

iTunes sets new sales record

Apple today announced that music fans have purchased and downloaded a record setting 3.3 million songs from its third generation iTunes Music Store since its launch one week ago. Highlighting the popularity of its innovative new features, iTunes users have already published more than 20,000 iMixes, and those iMixes have been rated by fellow iTunes users over 50,000 times. In addition to the 3.3 million purchased songs, iTunes users have downloaded more than 500,000 free songs from popular artists including Foo Fighters, Avril Lavigne, Courtney Love, Annie Lennox, Jane’s Addiction, Counting Crows, Renee Fleming and Nelly Furtado during Apple's week-long “Free Song of the Day” anniversary promotion.

“Our third generation iTunes Music Store just blows away any other online music service,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “With over 700,000 songs and innovative features like iMix, it’s the easiest to use and most fun to use online music store in the world.”

Dirty 'Tunes?

Meanwhile, it appears that Apple has rejected its first "dirty" iMix.

The company reportedly refused to publish an AppleInsider reader's compilation "One to Tango: Songs with a Masturbation Theme" citing "poor taste". Ironically, each of the songs listed in the iMix are available for download from the iTunes music store as individual files.

Shortly after attempting to publish his iMix, the reader received an iTunes misuse warning from the company via email, stating that his mix was in violation of the iTunes Music Store terms of service, section 9e.

"The iMix that you have submitted will not be posted to the iTunes Music Store. Content in the iMix title and/or description is in violation of the iTunes Music Store Terms and Service." the letter reads, in part. "You agree that any use by you of such features shall be your sole responsibility, shall not infringe or violate the right of any other, contribute to or encourage unlawful conduct, or otherwise be obscene, objectionable or in poor taste."

It appears that Apple has also refused to perform a number of questionable iPod engravings.

Additional details of both subjects are available at the MethodShop.