Amazon Tuesday launched an Internet music store in a challenge to Apple's entrenched iTunes online shop.
Amazon MP3 is live as a "public beta," or test Web site that anyone can access on the Internet, and features digital music unfettered by digital rights management software that prevents buyers from copying songs.
"This new digital music service has already been through an extensive private beta," said Amazon.com vice-president for digital music Bill Carr. "Today we're excited to offer it to our customers as a fully functional public beta."
Amazon's online music catalogue lists more than 2 million songs from more than 180,000 artists and 20,000 labels, including EMI Music and Universal Music Group.
Songs are priced from $0.89 to $0.99 and albums are priced from $5.99 to $9.99.
Amazon's music download store is similar to offerings from Apple, Real Networks, and retail behemoth Wal-Mart, according to Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian.
Sebastian expects Amazon MP3 to be an appealing addition to the Seattle firm's online video and book operations.
Amazon MP3 "turns up the heat on iTunes" while boosting an MP3 audio format compatible with most music players, including Apple's ubiquitous iPod models, Sebastian said. "We believe the company's decision to support music files free of copy protection is likely to provide a boost to the open format by making it more difficult for music publishers to ignore the MP3 market," Sebastian said. ?
Amazon launches online music store
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