Amazon takes aim at iTunes

If you are going up against a giant, it helps if you too are a giant. And scrappy.

That appears to be Amazon.com’s strategy as its MP3 store takes on Apple’s iTunes in digital music.

Today, the British alternative rock group Coldplay is releasing its new album, “Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends.” Amazon is using the occasion to wave in more customers with huge discounts.

Amazon said it would begin selling digital versions of past Coldplay albums for bargain-basement prices. As part of a promotion called Daily Deal, the Coldplay album “X&Y;” was available Tuesday for $1.99. Today, “A Rush of Blood to the Head” can be yours for $1.99. Both albums are currently $7.99 on iTunes.

“Parachutes” is next up on Thursday for $1.99. On Friday, the “Brothers and Sisters” EP will cost you only 99 cents.

Since it launched in September, the Amazon MP3 store has trained its sights on Apple’s iTunes.

A recent Forrester Research report showed that 62% of 1,273 people surveyed in April said they had bought digital music from iTunes. Only 11% said they had bought from Amazon.

-- Michelle Quinn