With how rapid the music industry changes, its a miracle that those of us who work in it can keep up. Last week, Apple executive Jimmy Iovine claimed to cease iTunes when “people stop buying.” Now, sources inside the company are pointing to a March 31st, 2019 date for an official phase-out of the digital download store.

These sources also stressed that music downloads “will always work on all Apple devices and the iTunes platform, across all versions.” That includes music purchased on iTunes or uploaded from any other source. 40 million subscribers currently pay for Apple Music compared to Spotify’s 71 million. As the platform continues to grow, it only seemed obvious to cease digital sales in an effort to catch up with Spotify and their free, but ad-heavy, service as well as low payouts for artists.

(Digital Media)