24 March 2008
Sony is developing a music service that will be compatible with most music players, and provide unlimited access to the label's catalog.
Sony BMG's artists includes Dido, Britney Spears, Sean Kingston, Chris Brown, and Alicia Keys. In an interview with a German newspaper CEO Rolf Schmidt-Holtz did not provide a launch timeframe, but did go in to price.
Downloads will be compatible with just about any player, according to the interview, and the basic option will be a 6 to 8 euro per month for the service allowing unlimited access to Sony BMG back-catalogue.
In some cases, music may be permitted to be kept and played after the consumer cancels his or her subscription. Sony BMG is also apparently in talks with other labels to bring them on board to the service.
Successful outcomes to talks such as these will be key to any potential service's overall success. While the label has a considerable number of popular acts, consumers will likely want to see a broader selection.
It was not immediately clear from the report what format the songs will come in, although from recent movement in the industry one could infer it will likely be in MP3 format. Also, the quality of the digital downloads themselves was not known.
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