Apple 's iTunes Store launched April 1 , 2003 . Thanks to legal disputes and sonic concerns , for more than seven years , the Fab Four ( and their many representatives ) resisted calls to transfer their prized catalog to iTunes , leaving music fans stuck with their old-fashioned CDs , LPs and reel-to-reel tapes . By 2006 , iTunes was the largest digital retailer on the market . Despite some gripes , iTunes was a perfect fit for our instant - music culture . Sites such as Pandora and Spotify are supplanting iTunes among young people .
Apple 's iTunes Store launched April 1 , 2003 . By 2006 , iTunes was the largest digital retailer on the market . Despite some gripes , iTunes was a perfect fit for our instant - music culture . Sites such as Pandora and Spotify are supplanting iTunes among young people .