International iTunes Match Launch Stumbles

Apple’s iTunes Match launch outside of the United States doesn’t seem to be going smoothly. The iCloud music storage service appeared to go live in several countries on Wednesday, but by Thursday morning customers were reporting that it wasn’t working, and in some cases they have received refunds, too.

International iTunes Match launch: Not so good

Customers in the U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand were initially able to sign up for iTunes Match on Wednesday, but that option has since been pulled. Apple has been telling customers that signed up during the brief window when iTunes Match was available that they will receive a refund.

Commenters on Apple’s own discussion boards are saying, “I have purchased iTunes match un the UK for £21.99 and had a confirmation e-mail, but nothing seems to be uploading or matching. All songs are labeled ‘waiting’ next to the new cloud icon. Any ideas?”

iTunes Match lets customers store their iTunes library online for download to authorized iTunes accounts and iOS devices. The service costs US$24.99 a year

For now, it looks like iTunes Match is available only to customers in the U.S. and Brazil. There isn’t any word on when to expect the service to launch again in other countries.