Apple launched the first successful online music store, the iTunes Store, in 2003. It opened on April 28, 2003, initially offering Mac users a legal way to buy and download individual songs from major record labels.
The store launched with roughly 200,000 tracks and a simple pricing model: most individual songs cost 99 cents, while albums generally cost $9.99. Because it was integrated with iTunes software and worked closely with the iPod, purchasing, organizing, and carrying digital music became unusually convenient. Apple’s agreements with the major labels also distinguished the service from unauthorized file-sharing networks such as Napster.
The iTunes Store was not the first website to sell digital music, but it was the first to achieve broad commercial success and reshape the recorded-music business. It later expanded beyond songs into music videos, films, television programs, podcasts, books, and apps. The App Store’s 2008 launch eventually separated applications from the music marketplace.