Changes expected at iTunes Store this week

Apple Inc. is ready to make significant changes to its iTunes store from September 15, say sources from record labels and distributors.

On the Main Page, Hot Tracks will be replaced by the Best of the Week slider.

These songs will reflect the Best of the Week Apple Music playlist but will be sorted by sales velocity - herefore, the order of songs displayed on iTunes will not necessarily match the order on Apple Music.

Hot Tracks will remain on the Apple Music main page, however Hot Albums will no longer be displayed in US and UK markets.

Beats 1 World Record slider will replace the $0.69 Song slider and will feature the most recent 16 World Record tracks, in chronological order.

Brick rows are no longer being added. 

On the Genre Pages, Hot Tracks will be replaced by an Apple Music playlist at the editor’s discretion. Featured content will vary by editor and country.

Also to be dropped in the U.S. are Music Videos, Greatest Hits, Essentials, Indie and Fitness & Workout pages. 

Down the track selected genre pages will also be removed. But this will depend on the decision of each territory.

Another significant change is that HDR (high dynamic range) iTunes Store is arriving shortly, with sharp-eyed users spotting new code feelings seemingly set up for a fifth-generation Apple TV. 

As for a definite release date, Apple may still be fighting with movie studios over the price of 4K iTunes movies.

Last month, Apple also introduced new guidelines for apps, in a move to remove outdated apps, copycat apps and spam apps.

As of May 2017, iTunes had 2.2 million apps with the figure predicted to hit 5 million by 2020.