On April 28, 2003, Apple launched the iTunes Retailer, its iconic digital market for downloading music. 22 years later, most of us do not buy songs and albums individually anymore, and the iTunes Retailer would not exist because it as soon as did, however performed a significant function in Apple historical past.
Early Years
When it launched, the iTunes Retailer was just for the Mac, nevertheless it expanded to Home windows PCs earlier than the tip of 2003. It was a one-stop store for music that might be loaded onto an iPod, and Apple CEO Steve Jobs inked offers with quite a few totally different document labels to get it up and operating.
In the primary 18 hours following the launch of the iTunes Retailer, Apple bought ~275,000 tracks, with songs priced at $0.99 on the time. Lower than per week after launch, Apple bought 1 million songs, and on the two week mark, Apple was at 2 million songs bought.
By 2008, 5 years after the iTunes Retailer launched, Apple’s iTunes Retailer was the most important music vendor in america. In 2010, it was the biggest music vendor on this planet, bringing in over a billion {dollars}.
Pricing
The iTunes Retailer bought songs for $0.99 in america, although some had been costlier at $1.29. Albums had been priced at $9.99 by default, however distributors had been in a position to set larger costs. Apple commonly provided iTunes promotions, together with weekly free songs.
Past Music
Earlier than the App Retailer launched in 2008, the iTunes Retailer additionally housed apps, plus it was dwelling to digital books earlier than the launch of the iBooks Retailer. Apple additionally used the iTunes Retailer for distributing podcasts, TV reveals, and films.
The Rise of Streaming Music
Within the 2010s, curiosity in streaming music began to select up, chopping into music purchases. Streaming companies like Rhapsody, Yahoo Music, and Pandora launched earlier within the decade, however extra folks turned desirous about streaming music when Spotify launched in america in 2011.
Beats Music launched in 2014, and was shortly bought by Apple when Apple acquired the Beats model. Apple ended up turning Beats Music into Apple Music, a Spotify competitor that launched on June 30, 2015. By 2016, simply 24 p.c of the music business’s income got here from digital music gross sales, with streaming companies bringing in over 50 p.c of complete income.
The iTunes Retailer In the present day
You will nonetheless discover the iTunes Retailer app in your iPhone, nevertheless it’s a bit of tougher to seek out on the Mac. It is accessible as a devoted part within the Apple Music app for individuals who nonetheless buy music.
TV reveals and films had been cut up out into the TV app, whereas podcasts had been cut up into the Podcasts app as a part of adjustments made in macOS Catalina again in 2019. The Home windows model of the iTunes Retailer caught round longer, however in 2024, Apple launched devoted Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Gadgets apps for Home windows customers to interchange iTunes.
