Digital downloads service iTunes has announced this morning that they are launching into the UK festival market.

iTunes Festival, launching in July, will be a month-long series of concerts that will take place at London's ICA. The ambitious event will feature two artists each day, taking the tally up to 60 over the whole event.

The full line-up is yet to be revealed but headline artists announced so far include Crowded House, Travis, Mika and Amy Winehouse.

Tickets will not be sold for the event, instead they will have to be won through artist websites and various TV and radio promotions.

Speaking to The Times this morning from America, Alex Luke, the director of music programming and label relations for iTunes said: "For us it was important to do something unique. This really is a festival with a difference. It's a small intimate venue and you can't buy tickets. These concerts are really all about the fans."

Why the largesse from the world's most popular download store? All the concerts will be recorded and made available through the iTunes store within 24 hours. In a world where recorded music sales are plummeting but the live music scene is booming, the iTunes store is in a unique position to capitilise.

"For a fan, if you seen an artist live, to be able to have a live recording after the fact is powerful. With digital, you can now do that instantly," said Luke. " For an artist, an intimate concert captured in London which is then instantly released in over 22 countries can only be a good thing."

The company have been moving into the live music arena over the past few years. They launched a Live from London concert series at the Apple store on Oxford Street in 2005. They now host similar events at their New York and Tokyo stores. London, however, was the only choice for the company to launch this event.

"Your festival season is very strong. There are lots of fans routing through." said Luke. "We've only had great successes with Live from London, this is taking things to the next level."

It had been rumoured that Paul McCartney could be on the bill, and of course Prince is in town and hasn't yet announced where he is playing after his 02 arena stint. However, neither acts are on the list as yet.

"This isn't the full list by any means", explained Luke, " All I can say is, watch this space. Or rather our website. Most importantly though, we are extremely excited about those artists we have announced. It's going to be a trailblazing festival."

Click here to read the full list of artists announced so far

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