What was the name of Apple’s digital music store launched by Steve Jobs in 2003?

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Apple’s digital music store launched by Steve Jobs in 2003 was the iTunes Music Store.

Steve Jobs introduced the service on April 28, 2003, as an online marketplace where customers could buy individual songs legally. Its standard price was 99 cents per song, and purchased tracks initially used Apple’s FairPlay digital rights management system.

The store was closely integrated with iTunes, Apple’s media-management software. This combination helped make digital music purchases simpler and connected the store to the iPod, which had launched in 2001. The service expanded beyond music to include films, television programs, podcasts, apps, and books.

Apple later shortened the name to the iTunes Store. It is often confused with Apple Music, a subscription streaming service introduced in 2015. The iTunes Store primarily sold downloadable content, while Apple Music centered on an ongoing streaming subscription.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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