An Australian version of Apple’s iTunes Music Store is expected to be launched in the first quarter of 2004, according to News.com.au. “Apple declined to comment on when its service might be available in Australia, but sources indicate that the company has been in local negotiations with record companies, music publishers and rights bodies. Those negotiations should bear fruit in the first quarter of next year, when Apple will extend the iTunes Music Store to a number of markets beyond the US, sources said.”