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23 Years Ago, Steve Jobs Developed a Way To Satisfy the Music Industry in an Age of Piracy

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28.04.2026

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23 Years Ago, Steve Jobs Developed a Way To Satisfy the Music Industry in an Age of Piracy

With the shift from analog to digital recording, the music industry was plagued by mp3 piracy.

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On April 28, 2003, Apple launched its solution to the music industry’s hatred of MP3s. That day, the tech company announced iTunes, the online music store that allowed listeners to purchase songs for 99 cents each, load them onto iPods, and legally burn as many CDs as their hearts desired. Legally being the key word here.

For music fans who were tired of previously gambling with Napster and Limewire files, wondering if the next download would finally sneak a virus onto their computer, iTunes may have seemed like a blessing. No more guessing if you were actually getting what you were downloading. Instead, you had a legally purchased song or album in your library to do what you wanted with.

iTunes Allowed Listeners to Actually Own The Music They Purchased, Unlike Streaming Platforms Today

Unlike the Apple Music of today, iTunes........

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