“Apple Computer Inc.’s hugely successful iTunes music downloading system is about to launch in Canada, establishing a powerful competitor to the Internet-based music services already in place in this country,” Richard Blackwell reports for The Globe and Mail. “Apple’s iTunes on-line music store, already up and running for customers in the United States and Europe, is expected to be open for Canadian audiophiles in the next few days. In October, Apple said it would launch in Canada in November, and a company spokesman said this week the company intends to meet that deadline.”
“David Basskin, president of the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency, which negotiated with Apple and the other on-line music players on behalf of copyright owners, said his organization ‘stands ready’ to sign a deal with any company that wants to legally sell downloads. The overall goal in licensing pay-for-play systems is ‘to reduce the amount of piracy,’ he said. Mr. Basskin said his organization only recently initiated discussions with Apple regarding iTunes, and as of Thursday they were ‘close to an agreement.’ He said Apple likely waited until now to come into the Canadian market because it wanted to get established first in the United States and Europe, where the population base is greater,” Blackwell reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Monday is our best guess, since Friday after Thanksgiving wouldn’t give Apple much U.S. media bang for the non-buck. Media coverage in the U.S. is important, as even the news of iTMS for Canada would generate much U.S. press which would only help iTMS and iPod sales there, too. Tuesday is also a possibility since it’s the last day of November and could coincide with New Music Tuesdays.