AOL's got major-label music to burn

Daily Newsletters

Sign up to ZDNet UK's daily newsletter.

NEWS
AOL Time Warner has begun selling songs encoded in the unprotected MP3 format as a way to promote unreleased tracks from some of its most popular artists. America Online, Warner Music Group's corporate cousin, last week began offering 99-cent (70 pence) downloads of music from artists such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alanis Morissette, Missy Elliott, Jewel and Brandy. In all, AOL plans to offer 15 songs at that price. The promotion marks the first time Warner Music has teamed with AOL Music to offer songs in the unprotected MP3 format. The major record labels have routinely dismissed MP3 because of its ability to be used, copied and distributed onto many different mediums without any copy protection. Nevertheless, consumers have turned the format into a default standard for music files because of its universal ability to be downloaded onto digital devices or burned onto CDs. "We've been experimenting with the 99-cent download for a while, and over time we continue to refine our offerings in an effort to see how consumers will react to different models and promotions," Warner Music spokesman Will Tanous said. The sale highlights another example of the much-vaunted cross-promotions that were hyped as the beneficial by-product of the 2001 merger of AOL and Time Warner. Such agreements, however, have forced AOL Time Warner to find common ground between the protective music industry and the more vanguard actions of technology and new media. Other companies are looking for a balance between enforcing their copyrights and giving tech-savvy consumers what they want. Vivendi Universal, for example, last month put a 99-cent price tag on an unprotected MP3 version of a new single. Since then, the media conglomerate's Universal Music Group has said it plans to slash prices on numerous downloads of singles and albums, albeit with digital rights management technology provided by Liquid Audio. Sony Music Entertainment is also cutting prices and adding features to its downloads. Regardless of such efforts, the market for charging people any amount for music files remains uncertain, given the popularity of file-swapping services such as Morpheus, Kazaa and Grokster that offer a wider selection of songs that can be downloaded for free. The recording industry's legal battles have lead to the closure of file-swapping pioneer Napster; the labels now are suing other services including Morpheus and Grokster. Warner Music's Tanous said the promotion is one test of whether the label can use AOL and MP3 technology to generate hype for a new album. Since the files being sold online are unreleased tracks, the MP3s will not cut into CD sales, he said. Rather, they will give listeners the flavor of new albums. "Since these tracks are being made available in conjunction with the release of the artists' latest albums, we're hopeful that the downloads will help generate even more interest in the current releases," Tanous said.
See the MP3 News Section for the latest on everything from MP3 players to Napster and the other music swapping services. Have your say instantly, and see what others have said. Go to the Napster Debate. Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom.

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

You can also log in with Facebook. Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

  • Login

Will not be displayed with your comment

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

Get ZDNet UK's daily newsletter

Enter your email address to sign up

ZDNet UK Live

TerryRK

Well it seems there is something a number of us agree on. Why is the Ubuntu Unity launcher so ugly? I thought perhaps it was something to do with...

4 hours ago by TerryRK on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Freebies202

Duplicate comments are not made intentionally. Its very good to know that now you are keeping check on this problem because sometimes a commenter...

14 hours ago by Freebies202 on Microsoft fixes blog comments, speeds up blogs with open source
kevinmchapman

"the very significant number of users" and "many (most) of us" - you have no evidence for these statements. It is a fact that most users are saying...

22 hours ago by kevinmchapman on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Marg Menzies Harrison

Another grammar faux pas is the improper use of "you". When sitting down down in a restaurant, for example, I get cringe when the waitress...

23 hours ago by Marg Menzies Harrison via Facebook on 10 flagrant grammar mistakes that make you look stupid
zdnetukuser

And NOW, folks, for Canonical's next trick... Kubuntu is late. Here's a pencil. Draw your own conclusions. cf.:...

24 hours ago by zdnetukuser on Linux Minterface
Moley

@kevinmchapman. The discussion here reflects the very significant number of users who really do like the traditional menu system and who wish to...

1 day ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
kevinmchapman

Er, no... It is an efficient means of finding the application/file/setting you need in one place. The icons are a simply a fallback for when you...

1 day ago by kevinmchapman on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
TerryRK

Isn't the provision of a text based search an admission by the developers that the mass of icons approach does not work? I don't need to use a...

1 day ago by TerryRK on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
kevinmchapman

"Unity and GNOME 3 both abandon the old text-based cascading menus in favour of a graphical icon-driven system." Point truly missed. Both use a...

1 day ago by kevinmchapman on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
TerryRK

whs001 - Thank you, I'm glad you liked the article. I absolutely agree with you on your first point. I should perhaps have made it clearer that...

1 day ago by TerryRK on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Dennis Nilsson

If we allow corporate interest to dictate the way our government circumvents due process against foreign entities then we should accept the same...

1 day ago by Dennis Nilsson via Facebook on ACTA stumbles in Germany
GHar123

I totally dislike pirating of works, I fear that artists will be deterred from creating works if they think that they are going to get ripped off....

1 day ago by GHar123 on ACTA stumbles in Germany
JCB33

How dare film makers, artists or anybody that invests in creativity stop us pirating their works for free. I want to be able to walk into my local...

2 days ago by JCB33 on ACTA stumbles in Germany
Moley

@GrueMaster. I prefer horses for courses rather than one size fits all. I, and I suspect most other computer users, do not really wish to have...

2 days ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
greycynic

The product that scares me every time I have to use it is the Office 2007 version of Excel. The first bug that I found was applying the median...

2 days ago by greycynic on Ten flawed products that derail productivity
GrueMaster

Nice review and very informative. One thing I'd like to add (in reply to whs001's 1st question), the main reason to have the same interface from...

2 days ago by GrueMaster on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Frederick Wrigley

I'be been using Mint 12 since the RC came out, and I am far more happy with the Cinnamon, the Mate, and, yes (with extensions), theGnome 3...

2 days ago by Frederick Wrigley via Facebook on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
bdantas

Excellent article. One small correction, though--although a fresh installation of Linux Mint 12 will, indeed, provide the user with a version of...

2 days ago by bdantas on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Alan Ralph

In related news, the ISPs club together to get the members of the Home Affairs Select Committee (ya goofed on that part, ZDNet UK) copies of "The...

2 days ago by Alan Ralph via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material
Alan Ralph

In related news, the ISPs club together to get the members of the Home Affairs Select Committee (ya goofed on that part, ZDNet UK) copies of "The...

2 days ago by Alan Ralph via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material