Apple to launch iTunes Music Store in Japan

Japan getting download music store

7 June 2005 15:31 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Apple has announced that our friends in Japan will be the next territory to get the iTunes Music Store. Japanese music lovers should get the service some time in August at a cheaper price than most of the current competition.

According to Nihon Keizai newspaper Apple will charge about 150 Yen (76.p) per download.

The newspaper also reports that most of the major players including Columbia Music Entertainment Inc., Avex Group Holdings Inc. and Toshiba-EMI Ltd., have agreed to provide songs for the service although not Sony Music Entertainment, who is as yet still to sign on the dotted line.

Japan has been waiting some time for an iTMS, with initial reports last year that a store would be launched in March 2005.

Apple hope to offer a choice of 500,000 to 1 million songs considerably more than currently offered by the Sony's music store in Japan.

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Audio, Online, Music downloads, Apple