October 7, 2009 10:40

7digital to go up against iTunes by launching low-price US store

UK-based music store confident it can be a success in the States

Online music store 7digital has launched a low-price MP3 site in the US in a bid to attract customers from iTunes and Amazon.

The UK-based digital, which supplies NME.COM's music streaming service, platform is charging 77 cents (48p) per track – roughly 20 per cent cheaper than iTunes and Amazon – at its US store, which was launched yesterday (October 6).

The launch of Us.7digital.com coincides with 7digital's new BlackBerry application, which CEO Ben Drury claimed could offer a further blow to iTunes.

"We could have launched in the US earlier," he told Billboard.biz. "But we wanted to wait for BlackBerry – launching with them on board gives us an angle, because you'll never see iTunes on a BlackBerry."

The BlackBerry application is available to users in the US, UK, Germany and Spain. 7digital's catalogue currently features eight million tracks.