Apple to announce Australian iTunes Music Store next week?

After more than a year of speculation and false starts, Apple is finally expected to announce the Australia iTunes Music Store on Tuesday.

A spokesperson confirmed the company had scheduled a "special" media briefing with two of its most senior United States-based executives in Sydney next Tuesday, fuelling speculation the hotly anticipated local version of Apple's iTunes online store is poised to reach these shores by the end of the month.

The spokesperson told CNET.com.au sister site ZDNet Australia today that Eddie Cue, vice president of iTunes and Greg Joswiak, vice president of iPod product marketing, would be talking to the press at 9am, but would give no further details on what would be said.

Cue has been prominent in a number of launches around the globe of the iTunes music store, which is now available in about 20 countries.

The press conference comes after Apple last week unveiled in the United States its new iPod portable digital media player capable of video playback. The Seven Network has said it will start distributing popular television shows such as Dancing with the Stars to the Internet and portable devices by mid-2006.

The Apple event next week is taking place at the Siebel Pier One Hotel in Sydney's central business district.

The iTunes Australia store is expected to provide largely the same offerings as its US and European stores, delivering access to almost one million songs at between AU$0.99 and AU$1.69 per song.

Speculation is rife that iTunes will launch, however, without the participation of SonyBMG Music Entertainment Australia. The iTunes Japan store launched in early August without the participation of Sony Music Entertainment, the music division of a company which is pushing a competing proprietary digital format to that used by Apple's iPod.

Record companies such as Universal, Sony and Warner, have long been complaining about illegal music downloads having a detrimental effect on compact disc sales. However, Apple's involvement in the online music sales has offered the music business some hope.

Currently Apple owns around 70 percent of the worldwide music download market and thanks to the runaway success of the iPod, a similar cut of the portable digital music player market.

Update:The Australian iTunes Music Store is now live. Click here for CNET.com.au's comprehensive guide featuring news, reviews and an FAQ.