BSkyB to Team Up with Universal Music
In a bid to thwart Apple’s dominance in the MP3 market, satellite television company BSkyB, which also offers broadband access, is teaming up with Universal Music to offer digital access to hundreds of thousands of songs for a monthly fee.
Sky said other music industry partners may soon join the service. The new service will launch late this year but details of subscription prices have not yet been made public.
It will be DRM-free. BSkyB’s chief operating officer Mike Darcey said the aim was to reach the mass market. “Sky already has contact with one in three British homes through our television service,” he said, “and we’ve got plenty of experience of running a subscription model.”
Universal has also teamed up with the mobile phone giant Nokia to offer Comes with Music, a service offering unlimited music to customers who buy a mobile phone.
The Nokia partnership is aimed at individuals, whereas the joint venture with BSkyB is targeted at families.
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