iTunes Match Officially Launches Internationally

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After what some are calling an “accidental” launch on Wednesday, Apple has now begun rolling out its iTunes Match service around the world. Reports suggest the service has already reached the UK, Australia, Canada, France , Spain and Ireland as well as Brazil which received the service earlier this week.

Customers who signed up prematurely on Wednesday soon encountered problems using the service and were notified via email that they would be receiving refunds. Today the service appears to be officially available via iTunes in Windows or Mac OS X.
iTunes Match scans personal storage for music and delivers it across a range of devices, offering up streaming and downloadable options. If iTunes detects a song it recognises then a DRM-free 256kbps AAC file is made available. If iTunes fails to recognise a song then that file is uploaded and made available instead.

Audiophiles around the world can find the iTunes Match service in their “Quick Links” bar on the right-hand side of iTunes if the service is available. Users should also be aware that the scanning and uploading process can take a while, especially when it comes to particularly large collections.
Current pricing from around the world puts a year’s worth of iTunes Match at €24.99 in Europe, £21.99 in the UK, CAD$27.99 in Canada and AUD$34.99 in Australia.
Have you subscribed to iTunes Match yet? Happy with the price in your country or territory? Talk about it in the comments.