HMV launches an iTunes rival
RETAILER HMV is to taking on iTunes with the launch of a new music download service yesterday.
The company will challenge its online rivals, including the American industry leader, Apple, with a launch promotion offering every single in the top 40 UK chart for 40p each.
The new hmvdigital service has a catalogue of over ten million songs.
It is compatible with any mp3 player and automatically synchronises downloads with iTunes or Windows Media Player libraries.
Users can also re-download past purchases if they are lost – which is not currently possible on iTunes.
However, the site crashed at one stage yesterday with customers being told by messages on an error page “HMV.com is temporarily unavailable as our servers are busy” and to “try again in a bit later”.
A spokesman for HMV said: “We are having a few volume-related site issues.”
Last September HMV acquired a 50 per cent stake in digital music specialists 7digital – the company which powers Spotify – which helped boost its online credentials.
Melanie Armstrong, head of music at HMV, said: “Some people still tend to think of us as a traditional retailer, but the fact is we’ve completely transformed our business.
“The launch of hmvdigital means we now also have a world-class music download platform.”
Last week the group announced it had sealed a £240m debt re-financing package.