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Apple Computer Launches Online Music Distribution Service in Japan

Posted on: Thursday, 4 August 2005, 12:00 CDT

Aug. 4--TOKYO -- Apple Computer Inc. on Thursday launched an online music distribution service in Japan in collaboration with 15 Japanese music companies including Avex Inc., Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs said in Tokyo.

Japan is the 20th country in which the U.S. computer maker is offering the iTunes Music Store service on the strength of its mega-hit iPod digital music player, which is used to play songs downloaded by computers.

Jobs said iTunes offers about 1 million Japanese and foreign songs and charges 150 yen to 200 yen a tune.

Apple Computer is the largest Internet-based music distributor in the world, commanding about 80 percent of the U.S. online music market.

Also Thursday, Napster Inc., another U.S. online music provider, said it will enter the Japanese market next April in cooperation with Tower Records Japan Inc.

Napster and Tower Records will set up a joint venture in Japan by October and prepare more than 1 million songs for their service.

Japan will be the fifth country where Napster provides the music download service.

Japanese online music distributors, including Label Gate Co. of the Sony Corp. group, will thus face fierce competition from the two U.S. rivals in the Japanese market that is expected to further expand, an industry analyst said.

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Source: Kyodo News International, Tokyo

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