"Microsoft's MSN Music store shouldn't surprise anybody. The company with its own operating system, online service, digital-music format and media software was always the likeliest suspect to launch an online music store. But Microsoft didn't rush to open its store last year, when most of its competitors debuted. Instead, it waited until last month -- a delay that allowed it to learn from other stores' mistakes. MSN Music is by far the most capable rival to Apple's iTunes Music Store, even if it doesn't yet surpass it. MSN Music's official launch won't come until Tuesday, an occasion that should bring a flurry of press releases and some new features, but the basics of the store are set. Like other digital-music shops, it charges 99 cents a song and $9.90 an album."A good comparative article between iTunes and MSN Music. Some of the more noticeable features lacking in MSN Music is that it is a U.S.-only shop, unlike iTunes and its catalogue includes about 600,000 tracks, up from 500,000 at the start; Microsoft's goal is to pass 1 million, whereas iTunes has already surpassed that mark. For more, read the article.