European Music Industry Dances to New iTune.

Jun. 20--The Beatles once sang: "Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away." But for the big music retailers and record companies, it now looks as if they're here to stay. Battered by free music-sharing websites and declining pre-recorded CD sales, they are now no longer even in charge of their own content. It is hardware manufacturers who call the tune, as exemplified by Apple's European launch of iTunes, a 700,000-song music library that bypasses music stores by delivering songs down the internet to consumers at E0.99 (0.79 $1.20).

Last week, Steve Jobs, the foun