Music download service from Amazon online

Amazon is here to launch its long-awaited music download service, which is expected to give a jolt to Apple's dominant iTunes store. The songs, that will be sold through a store called 'Amazon MP3', will have no copy protection technology attached, meaning they will be able to be played on a variety of devices, including Apple's iPods.

Amazon's service adds yet another layer of depth to the increasingly complex market for digital music, where at least three separate models have emerged. It has been informed to the marketplace that more than 2 million songs will be made available for download from Amazon's US site, with tracks costing either 89c or 99c, and albums between $5.99 and $9.99.

The digital music market nearly doubled in value last year – from $1.1 billion to $2 billion.