Latin stars, Apple executives fete opening

A tip from a South American website has suggested that Apple will kick off the launch of its long-awaited full iTunes Store in Brazil on December 15th with a star-studded party at an unnamed hotel in Sao Paulo, featuring both well-known names in the Latin America music scene as well as Apple executives. Performances at the party will be recorded and offered on iTunes itself, according to the rumor.

If true, the event would be an unusually high-profile celebration of an iTunes Store opening, though the event is said to be invitation-only. The show will features popular Brazilian artists such as Marisa Monte, her frequent collaborator Arnaldo Antunes, and Carlinhos Brown, along with Mexican recording star Julieta Venegas and Brazilian band Nação Zumbi. Performances from the show would be recorded and made available on iTunes as quickly as two days later, according to the tip.

Up until now, iTunes Brazil has only offered apps, with the company saying that the market was not mature enough for expanded offerings. Apple CEO Tim Cook has repeatedly made reference to emerging markets such as Brazil (which was up 118 percent last year) as another growth spot behind China on the world stage for Apple products and services. Apple Brazil is also expected to launch the iPhone 4S in the country the next day, December 16th. [via MacNews Brasil]

Carlinhos Brown performing live

by MacNN Staff