ITunes customers can now buy singles without having to pay for them again when they download the entire album.
Apple’s new service, Complete My Album, gives the customer credit of 99c towards an album for every previous single they have downloaded from it.
Vice-president of iTunes Eddy Cue said that this new service should help music fans overcome any reluctance they previously had about paying for an entire album when they had already purchased individuals singles from it.
Already, 45pc of all music sold on iTunes comes from album sales, according to Cue, but he hopes to sell more with Complete My Album.
The credit awarded towards the album is valid for 180 days after buying the single. For the first 90 days after launching this service Apple will make the deal retroactive to customers who bought music from iTunes since its inception four years ago.
Currently Apple iTunes is dominating the online music market and is also one of the top worldwide music retailers.
This looks set to continue, with president of Sony BMG Music Thomas Hesse calling Complete my Album “revolutionary”.
Hesse said that iTunes now gives music fans the option of sampling new music by downloading one or two tracks and then buying the whole album if they like them without losing money.
By Marie Boran
