Amazon now second-largest music download service

Wed Mar 26 2008, 16:20 PM

Amazon's DRM-free download policy has accelerated its MP3 sales, making the service second only to Apple's iTunes in terms of size, according to Amazon itself. The company, which launched its Amazon MP3 music download site last Sep, claims to offer 4.5m songs, compared to iTunes' 6m.

Amazon MP3 claims to be the only online music store to have reached deals with all four major record labels for DRM-free music. While the Apple service includes many small, independent performers, Amazon's offerings focus on major label artists. iTunes was first to offer DRM-free major label songs in spring 2007, but its unlocked catalogue is restricted to 2m tracks from EMI as well as a variety of independent labels.