August 4th Apple launched its iTunes music store in Mexico, the first in Latin America. There has also been an expected surge in smart phone sales which will also boost iTunes late entry into Latin America. The iPhone has only been offered about a year in Mexico by the carrier America Movil, but on July 31 of this year iPhone3GS launched in Mexico, Uruguay, Colombia, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic. It has been available in other Latin American countries previously.
iTunes featured a home page with Mexican acts such as Jesse and Joy and Paulina Rubio. The iTunes Mexico store also carried apps and podcasts from El Universal and Reforma, along with some musical releases from United States, with recording artists such as The Black Eyed Peas.
Tracks for the iTunes are price at 91 cents (12 pesos) and albums at $9.00 (120 pesos) while music videos go for 24 pesos (1.83) each. There is a low rate of credit card use in Latin America and Mexico, so it is hoped that prepaid iTunes gift cards, which are available in general stores, will be instrumental to the online stores success. Cards are available denominations of 200, 300 and 600 pesos.
Prior to iTunes and the launch of the iPhone, Mixup; a music and DVD chain store offered its own MP3 players and download store since May of 2009, however the store is reported to be difficult to navigate and iTunes is expected to be very competitive. The launch in Mexico is seen as a precursor to the rumored launch of