Apple is pushing music downloading apps out of the App Store

In what appears to be an aggressive move to promote iTunes purchases and iTunes Radio, and possibly a Beats-related subscription service, Apple has been systematically removing any music downloading apps from the App Store according to MacRumors. Any search previously for “music download” in the App Store would show a number of apps that could download music and audio files from websites such as Soundcloud and YouTube, obviously taking a bite out of iTunes sales. Now the same search displays a message inviting users to try out iTunes Radio, with the first few results for apps include those for streaming services such as Spotify and other music-based apps that lack downloading capabilities. Apple has also asked developers to remove audio downloading functionalities from their apps.