Apple has invited select members of the press and other VIPs to a special event in London on June 15th. The invitation is emblazoned with Apple’s familiar silhouetted iPod dancers on colored backgrounds and says, “The biggest story in music is about to get even bigger.” The invitation-only event is scheduled to take place at Old Billingsgate Market in London, England on June 15, 2004 at 11:00AM.
Details about what’s going to be announced remain scarce and will likely not be revealed until the event itself, but consumers and industry analysts in the UK have been anticipating Apple’s entry into the commercial online music download market since the iTunes Music Store first debuted in the United States last year. The UK market is becoming increasingly crowded with well-heeled foreign competition: Roxio and Sony have both recently introduced their own commercial music download services, Napster and Connect.
The UK may prove to be a lucrative market for Apple, as the company has already seen extraordinary success selling its iPod digital music player. One in six iPods sold worldwide during the 2003 holiday quarter were sold in the UK, with retailers frequently selling out of the devices.
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