Monday 19th December 2011 by Alex Winehouse

Apple have launced their iTunes Match service in the UK.

Although users have to pay £21.99 a year to use the new system, it enables their music library to be scanned by Apple, who replace songs with higher quality versions which can then be accessed from other Apple devices.

Songs that may have been downloaded illegally through torrent sites will be treated just the same as any legal download.

iTunes Match was launched in the US in November, but has now come to Britain.

The move has been welcomed by the music industry, with Universal Music UK director of digital music Paul Smernicki telling the BBC: "We believe that it creates a great and seamless experience for music buyers that will ultimately see increased sales and digital conversion."

Explaining why Apple had been able to gain permission from the industry, independent analyst Mark Mulligan said: "The reason why this can happen is because Apple essentially owns the music industry’s most valuable customers - the ones spending the lion’s share in the digital marketplace.

"The major record labels are more willing to do things in Apple’s ecosystem than they would elsewhere."

iTunes Match can be accessed through a computer's iTunes program.

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