Apple’s iTunes music store has reached agreement to incorporate ebay’s online payment system PayPal.

The collaboration eases the payment process for customers of iTunes, allowing a greater flexibility in the way bills are financed by consumers.

Apple bosses are encouraging the new scheme’s induction by offering free songs to the first 500,000 customers to sign up with PayPal.

“We are thrilled that PayPal users can now buy their music on the world’s number one online music store,” said Todd Pearson, general manager of PayPal’s merchant services.

“PayPal’s virtual wallet offers iTunes customers the convenience of paying in the way they prefer.”

iTunes is the second online music store to adopt PayPal following the similar introduction of the service by Roxio’s Napster.

The service, which currently has more than 56 million registered customers, recorded a 56 per cent sales increase on last year taking sales between July and September to £87 million.