(27 October 2006 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Music label BMG Japan and software major Apple have announced the availability of Japanese and international artists on the iTunes Store in Japan.

The addition of the BMG Japan catalogue brings Japaenese pop and international artists to the iTunes Store beginning today, including Alicia Keys, Avril Lavigne, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Foo Fighters, Justin Timberlake, Kasabian, Outkast, Pink, Seamo, Suga Shikao, Sukima Switch, Usher and more.

v executrive VP, co GM Daniel DiCicco says, “BMG Japan is delighted to join forces with Apple to make the wealth of our catalogue available through the iTunes Store in Japan. We look forward to continuing to drive BMG Japan’s digital development through this very important relationship by connecting the iTunes community to top J-Pop and international artists from BMG Japan.”

Apple VP iTunes Eddy Cue says, “Top artists, breakthrough pricing, seamless integration with iPod and groundbreaking personal use rights have made iTunes the number one online music service in Japan. We’re thrilled to bring BMG’s impressive catalog to iTunes so fans in Japan can download and enjoy even more great music.”

The iTunes Store in Japan now features more than two million songs, 3,500 music videos, Disney and Pixar short films, 65,000 podcasts and 16,000 audiobooks. With over 90 percent of songs priced at just 150 yen per song, the iTunes Store offers the great value and features that have made iTunes the number one online music service in the world, with over 1.5 billion songs purchased and downloaded. BMG Japan will continue to add more of its extensive catalog to the iTunes Store in the coming months.