Apple Rolls Out iTunes Store In 56 Countries

Earlier today, Apple announced that launch of the iTunes Store in 56 additional countries, including Russia, South Africa, India, and Turkey. This brings the total number of countries where the iTunes Store is available to 119. In addition, four countries have access to movies via iTunes, with more countries slated to get them in the future.

Movies are available in Russia, Turkey, India, and Indonesia. Music selection in the 56 new countries includes local artists as well as international options and content from indie labels. Examples include Elka in Russia, Zahara in South Africa, and Sezen Aksu in Turkey, while the international options include such popular artists as Coldplay and Taylor Swift.

According to the announcement, there are over 20 million songs available via iTunes. For the locations where movies are available, films can be either purchased outright or rented for a lower fee. HD video options are available for certain titles from Sony, Disney, and Warner Bros, among others. Music is DRM-free, and is offered in 256-kbps AAC for high-quality playback.

Customers located in one of the newly-added countries can buy iTunes Match, which sends users music to iCloud, where it is safe in the event of a lost or damaged computer. ITunes Match also makes it easier to access and managed your music library between multiple Apple devices, such as a MacBook and iPhone. Users can nab iTunes 11 from Apple.com. Those located in one of the 56 countries must have a local address in order to use the service.