Apple Computer got some satisfaction for its iTunes Music Store today, announcing not only the debut of the Japanese version of iTMS but also the worldwide availability of early Abkco catalog recordings, which includes early rock'n'roll classics from The Animals, Sam Cooke, Herman's Hermits, Marianne Faithful, and the Rolling Stones. The iTunes Music Store is now the only online music service with the Stones' complete catalog.

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2005/aug/04itms.html http://www.abkco.com/

The Japanese version of the iTunes Music Store reportedly features more than 1 million tracks, including songs from popular Japanese acts such as Little Creatures, Chara, and Crazy Ken Band, alongside radio shows and ever-more-hyped podcast selections. Over a dozen Japanese companies are providing music for the Japanese version of iTMS, alongside international distributors, and Apple plans to offer more Japanese content in the months ahead. Songs on the Japanese version of iTMS sell for ¥150 or ¥200 (roughly US $1.35 to $1.80). Apple hopes the introduction of the Japanese version of iTMS will spur sales of iPod music players, particularly the iPod shuffle. Unlike the rest of the world—where the iPod is the utterly dominant portable music player—it merely leads the pack in Japan, accounting for about 36 percent of the market while rival Sony has managed to secure about 27 percent of the market for flash-based music players.