iTunes opens China pop catalogue

Apple's iTunes music download network began its first foray into the Canto-Pop and Mando-Pop world with the addition of more than 1,000 tracks by leading Chinese artists to its online catalogue. The move follows a deal with Universal Music and involves artists such as Jacky Cheung, Kelly Chen, Hacken Lee and Alan Tam. The launch, timed to coincide with the Lunar New Year celebrations, was primarily aimed at overseas Chinese, but is likely to see thousands more Chinese tracks become available online as music download providers turn to the massive potential offered by the mainland Chinese market.