Apple iTunes movies, Music now Available in India

The wait is over, the Apple fans out there; get ready to enjoy desi and International music from iTunes stores. It is finally launched in India officially. Indonesia is the other country where Apple iTunes has been launched along with India. It may be recalled that though iTunes stores was launched in many Asian countries, two countries which boast a population of around 1.4 billion were left at dark.

In iTunes store, you can start downloading individual songs for around Rs 7 to Rs 15 each and an album would cost around Rs 70. There is also an option called iTunes Match, where users can access and buy songs from sources other than iTunes through the cloud network. The entry of iTunes store to the online music world in India would spark off intense competition with the likes of Gaana.com, Dhingana and Saavn. Only few days back Saavn had announced the availability of International music in their online store. It seems that it was actually a move from Saavn to prepare for the upcoming competition with iTunes store.

Video albums would cost Rs 15 per track and movies would be costing around Rs 290 to Rs 490. There is also a scheme to rent movies for a month, which would cost Rs 80 for a Bollywood movie and Rs 120 for a foreign movie.

In Indonesia, individual songs in iTunes store would cost in the range of IDR 5000 to 7000, whereas movies and albums would cost IDR 149,000 and IDR 45,000 to 65,000.

Indian online music market is on the rise though the internet penetration is still very low at 10%. The content firms are still concerned about the high degree of piracy issues existing in both India and Indonesia which can potentially drain off their revenue streams. It is good news for music lovers in India as they get hands to another online store which will have a rich mix of desi and international music. Apple TV would also reach Indian shores soon with the availability of iTunes store.