Is the iTunes store closing? Current speculation says that it might. In a statement to the Washington DC Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) in 2006, Apple voiced its unwillingness to go along with a rate hike on downloaded media, stating "If (iTunes) was forced to absorb any increase in the ... royalty rate, the result would be to significantly increase the likelihood of the store operating at a financial loss - which is no alternative at all," adding that Apple "(...) most likely would not continue to operate (iTunes) if it were no longer possible to do so profitably."Fortune: Digital music retailers await copyright board decision... (September 30, 2008)