Apple to Pay for Referrals to iTunes Site
Apple Computer Inc., the world’s largest vendor of online music, said it would pay a commission to websites that help sell songs from the company’s iTunes online store as it tries to fend off a crop of new competitors including Microsoft Corp.
Apple will pay websites a 5% fee for every sale that can be traced to links from those sites, said Liz Einbinder, a spokeswoman for the Cupertino, Calif., company.
Apple has sold more than 3.75 million players since introducing the iPod music player in November 2001. Songs, which can be downloaded from the iTunes site to personal computers or the iPod, usually cost 99 cents apiece.
The company says it has sold more than 125 million songs through iTunes, accounting for 70% of legal music downloads in the U.S.
Apple shares rose $1.37 on Wednesday to $35.86 on Nasdaq.
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