Article
iTunes
Overview
iTunes began as a media player and library application in 2001 and, with the iTunes Store (2003), became a dominant distribution channel for paid digital music and later podcasts and video.
Key Points
- Launch: iTunes software (2001), iTunes Store (2003); iTunes helped normalise paid digital downloads.
- Podcasts & video: iTunes added podcast support (2005) and became a hub for discovered audio content.
- Cultural impact: transformed music purchasing, metadata practices, and music marketing; later restructured into separate apps in the late 2010s/2020s but influential for 2000s music economy.
Writing Tips
- Use the iTunes library, the "Purchased" tab and syncing to an iPod as period details when writing scenes set in the 2000s.