Apple has no plans to stop selling music downloads from iTunes in the next few years.
"This is not true," Apple spokesperson Tom Neumayr told to BuzzFeed News, rebutting to a Digital Music News report claiming the company "is now preparing to completely terminate music download offerings on the iTunes Store" in two years -- or possibly "the next 3-4 years."
Closing the iTunes Store — Apple's primary music marketplace — would be an aggressive move under any circumstances. With music downloads still outselling Apple Music subscriptions three to one on and Drake going platinum in one week while staying exclusive to Apple, it's clear that any subscription service-only future is a ways off.
While Apple has a habit of forcing change on its users when it decides it's time to shift technology forward (think losing the CD drive, touchscreen smartphones or the rumored switch to wireless earbuds), the company's not yet prepared to do that with digital music downloads — not on this 2 year timetable, anyway.
Apple spokesperson tells me on record that this is NOT true. https://t.co/2QYvOw8b3x