iTunes Store: More Songs, International Licensing and More

Wired.com discusses more numbers ranging from 200-275,000 in the first day on Apple's new iTunes Music Store.

The industry seems abuzz about the potential success of the new iTunes Music Store. Of particular interest to users, however, is the addition of new tracks very shortly. The article quotes a representative from Maverick records -- home to Alanis Morissette, the Deftones and Michelle Branch -- and notes that their ommision from the iTunes Music Store was a technical glitch and that 90% of Maverick's catalog should be available within a week.

As suspected, it seems that licensing issues may be preventing immediate release for international users:

The labels' Byzantine licensing process is preventing Apple from offering more songs from more artists, and from bringing the store to international users. Most tracks have to be cleared by a different licensing authority for each country.

... but the good news is that according to the article, international licensing authorities are contacting Apple to get on board.

Competition is heating up though, with MusicMatch expecting to debut a similar system later this year.