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It’s been less than a full decade since Apple opened the iTunes Music Store, and ever since it’s been one of the most argued over pieces of technology online.

Some love it. Some hate it. Some find the 256kbps sample rate too dull. Other thought 48kpbs Napster downloads were fine.

But the one thing that can’t be debated is how much iTunes has changed the world.

Before iTunes launched there really was no good way to legally buy digital music. And people didn’t want to buy music anyway. It was all pirated. Napster, Kazaa, Grokster, Bear Share, Limewire… they were the names of the day, the kings of the hill. That’s how people got their music, they downloaded it from some nameless German guy.

And along with it, they downloaded bad ID3 tags, viruses, malware, and more.

Steve Jobs had this revolutionary idea to open a huge music store that would sell digital tunes. Oh, there’s no question he did it to provide music in a very restrictive way for his new iPod devices, but it was still thinking outside the box. In fact, the box may not have even been in the same area code with that thought.

People said he was nuts. They said no one will buy music at 99 cents a track when they can just download it.

I was one of those people. I really thought that the average person, given a free alternative, would choose to pirate rather than buy. I honestly believed the iTunes Music Store might survive a year, but no more than that.

I was pretty shocked when in 2008 iTMS surpassed Wal-Mart as the world’s largest music retailer. I was doubly surprised when in 2007 more music was sold on iTunes than is estimated to have been pirated world wide.

When Mr. Jobs gave people an easy to use inexpensive alternative, they used it. And today, they have sold 10 billion songs in under a decade.

Congratulations Apple, you did the impossible. You made a generation of non-spenders spend money. You got us all to buy your stuff free and clear. Good tags, no viruses, clear tracks. You got my 99 cents, about 500 times over.